Cybernetic Mythologies
by Dawn Allies
Summary: Pokemon aren't what they used to be. Technology's taking over and the Cybernetics have arrived. Now an invasion's happening and the technology can't save them. Magic has to be found or there isn't going to be room left in the world for people or Pokemon.
1. How It Begins

Welcome to a world of the future, a place much so different to the one known now.

Filled with gadjets and machinery the world is ruled as it has never been before, without the help of pokemon.

Forgotten are the days of friendship, kinship, comradiship of beast and man. Pitting themselves against the world together as one.

Now life is devoted to oneself and the technology.

Who wants something that requires feeding, cleaning, care- When one can so easily have a machine do the same job with so much less hassle?

This is the age of the Cybernetics, when machine is more than beast could ever be within the eye of man.

**Cybernetic Mythology**

by Dawn Allies.

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How It Begins

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**Click.**

_Cybernetics™ would like to inform you that it does not endorse the following presentation._

**Click.

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**

A note by Clarissa K. Clark

I had been watching the tv for three weeks straight since they started the 24hr coverage. (Which I guess was near the end for us, I'll work back in a moment.) It'd already taken a couple of months before it came to that, but then, no one had realised how bad it was until too late. I had to feel sorry for the reporters still out there, watching, taping, telling.. Despite how much I previously despised them. Mostly that came from watching the typical 6:30 news, local, current affairs sort of stuff. Pestering scam artists, testing the same products they tested two months ago with the same results, interviewing celebrities, bothering celebrities, etc. But watching them out there, right up close to it as it was happening, I found a new respect for them that'd never been there before. I wondered at the time if they'd win an award or something after it was all over, once they came home and all.

This isn't really a detailed report or anything, but this is what happened up until that point.

I was - am, like most other people, at least, I like to think I am or was at the very least (I'm not so sure now).. I didn't see the disturbances as a big deal, they'd go away wouldn't they? It's not like anything majorly bad happened anymore, none of those in the living generations had ever even been in a war of any sort (excluding commercial, financial, business, etc). Nothing big had happened in the past hundred or so years since the anthro's were accepted into society as equals. Even the whole cloning thing had been over and done with by the time my parents were born. No one thought or expected anything.

I can't really remember what it was that were the first signs, or warnings or whatever. I think some of the wild pokemon were starting to act weird. But that always happened somewhere at some time, they had reports on it on the 6 o'clock news near the end of the show. It was usually to do with something people had done to the land previously or people were doing now. So it wasn't really unusual. No one in the media even really paid attention, of course at the same time the Cybernetics were just starting to get going.

Then it started happening more often, in different places.. Rattata were raiding farms and stockpiling grains, nincada were appearing in swarms in the middle of cities, Magikarp were disappearing, so were the wild populations of various flying and bug type pokemon. A whole heap of things and pokemon were just acting weird. Still, it hardly got any attention from anyone.. Well, aside from exterminators who probably started making a bundle and greenies worrying why common pokemon were being less common. It got the unused spaces in the back pages of newspapers and magazines, the last story on the news. You'd think in a world where Pokemon are the main resource people would of paid more attention, but noo.. Other things were on people's minds that got all that.

The anthros were next. Not all of them of course, just some. That got more interest, but only from certain parties. The thing was though, the anthros they tested, asked questions and all that.. they didn't understand. No one understood. They were just getting headaches, odd urges and things like that. Most of them could surpress it and continued on with their daily lives with no problems.

Then it all seemed to of stopped, and it went quiet for a long time.

It took just over a year and a half before it started again..

First people started disappearing. The anthros that'd been effected previously and some that hadn't, started acting scared and frantic for no apparent reason. When questioned they couldn't say what it was they were scared of, just that something was about to happen or something was coming or it was just something bad and it scared the shit out of them. More than one anthro was incarcerated and or dragged off to a mental ward.

This stayed in the news for about two and a half weeks as big news before being shuffled back. Nothing new was happening with it, aside from more anthros were coming down with whatever it was that had affected the others. For a while they thought it was a virus or something. But it was happening randomly to the anthros and they couldn't figure out what any of them had in common to make it some sort of viral infection. Aside from being anthros nothing else could be connected with those who got hit with whatever it was that hit them. It wasn't happening to the majority of the population of anthro's either, the scientists were totally at a loss of what was happening.

Then a hoard of Gyarados decimated the populations of four of the islands off of the Orange Archipelago and attacks from wild pokemon were becoming dangerously high. People were warned not to go into any areas heavily populated by wild pokemon. Not that it was a common occurrence much anymore anyway.

Next came the farms, then small villages, then small towns.. All the remote ones no one had ever heard of, or were in those places they just couldn't be bothered to go. It wasn't until the ones closer to the larger towns and the cities that they realised so many of the smaller remote places had been destroyed already. They did a quick survey and found that most of the smaller towns, villages and fishing industries from the south-eastern all the way up the eastern coast had been destroyed. People flooded the larger towns and cities scared for their lives and from what ever this mysterious thing was that was destroying everything.

They never found anything to help them define what was destroying all these places, of course, they didn't know how to properly then, though they did try to the best of their abilities. They brought in the best scientists and everything from EVERYWHERE to examine the sites, but still nothing. Actually, they did find one thing, at least half the pokemon they brought with them to the sites couldn't be released anywhere within the vicinity without acting odd. Much like a lot of the anthros still were. And, also, there were no wild pokemon anywhere near any of the sites. But they waved that away as the pokemon just being frightened off by whatever had destroyed the places like all the people had been.

The whole thing lasted in the news for about three weeks as top story before interested waned. They did give updates for a while during the Cybernetics tournament though. But that gradually stopped as it was continually interrupting at the wrong times for the viewing audience and they complained, so the executives left all that sort of thing for the proper news instead.

Again, nothing else happened for a month and any updates on the pervious situations were shoved to the back of the news. No one seemed to care, there were more interesting things going on than small places no one knew or cared about being destroyed and the updates on what'd happened, it was last month's news. Says something for the general population doesn't it. Unless it's the latest and the greatest no one cares.

When Alto Mare was flattened it took everyone by surprise. There was no warning, no nothing. One day there was a city, the next there wasn't. Everyone and thing that'd been in Alto Mare was killed or destroyed, there was little more than rubble found drowned at the bottom of the now flooded island city. Of course, now I know a little more. There were warnings, just we didn't hear anything about them, -all the frantic pokemon, the increasingly larger settlements being destroyed, the anthro's fleeing, people disappearing- it all happened on another continent, it wasn't anything to do with us except as a holiday place. The public here didn't care, so they didn't get told anything. Just when finally it went over the top and Alto Mare was destroyed. THEN we got the news on the other stuff where everyone would notice.

Of course, no one knew what had happened to the city, it'd been flattened and in most parts were under 12ft of water at the very least. It had been a water street city after all. So really, it had been there one day and gone the next with no warnings. People were somewhat rattled by this, an entire city had been destroyed without any warning's what so ever and no evidence How it had happened.

I have one positive thing to say now. This time the main stories were still on the previous matter when Hell started breaking loose, nothing else was interfering as it took a back seat to watch with the audience what was going on.

The Houen continent was being destroyed, village by village, town by town, city by city. Alto Mare seemed to be the real beginning. It wasn't happening as suddenly as with Alto Mare to the others, but by small explosions and fires that didn't seem to be effected by water. Some sort of disease also started spreading ahead of the destruction, creating a plague as people just ran trying to escape and passing it onto who ever they met. The entire nation was going into hysteria.

The first ones were spotted too. Just black, grey or brown flashes through the air trailing black and red sparks. Reports of them were popping up all over the Houen continent near the destruction from those reporters that had braved the plague and hysteria to report on the progress. No one knew what these were either but people were starting to connect the fact they kept popping up around just before and after places were destroyed. They were loosely named Fire-Bugs at the start, only because they started fires and trailed sparkles like fireflies. It took nearly a week before a picture was developed with one of the 'Fire-Bugs' in it. Little more than a blur on a blurred background, those scientists that could worked on the picture for ages trying to clarify the picture. They seemed to be having a lot of trouble in doing so, everyone was arguing about what parts were what and this could be that and that can't be this etc. They really shouldn't of bothered. Another two days in and one flew right behind one of the reporters in one of the cities as they were doing their story. The poor reporter, camera man and who ever else had been in the party were never heard from again. Thirty seconds or so after the creature flew past the camera and it tried to follow it, everything flashed a blinding white and there was only static (A couple of thousand people were blinded when that was first aired, flash included, for obvious reasons they cut it out before showing the rest of it to anyone else). Less than three hours later we had our first few shots of a 'Fire-Bug', though still blurry in all the shots taken from the video camera you could see at least four limbs, not including the head. These four limbs weren't the four legs you'd think though, it was two legs (one back the other front), a wing and a tail. There was something very familiar with the small sized form that tried to remind you of something that wanted you to smile, but there was also those parts of it you thought you could only just make out but really wished you hadn't thought of it like that. Complete revulsion competed heavily against that happy feeling. Most people weren't looking forwards to a better image. And it wasn't until the next week when it all started happening here that we got one. Not just one, but hundreds. They were flying in giant flocks over the dividing oceans between us and the Houen region like a menacing storm cloud.

They started the 24hr coverage as the networks realised that the things were coming straight for us.

They finally had an idea of what the things were just after they arrived. They had enough images and personal sight seeings (with high casualties) to say they were some sort of Mew. Exceedingly deformed it would seem through the entire species as no single creature had all it's limbs, or all it's fur and as an added extra an added horn or two and crippled wings. Which was not a normal feature to Mew's as they had been previously documented flying purely through their psychic abilities. Now as to where they came from, what they wanted or what they were trying to do exactly was beyond everyone. Of course there were multiple theories and if you listened to a lot of those religious nuts they'd say it was The End due to all our sins or something like that. But nothing they could be sure of.

You know, the most interesting, exciting, amazing, (a million more words, but you get the idea) thing I saw in those three weeks I sat in front of the telly watching, was Mew. It was just before they arrived on our shores and I don't mean those monster creatures that were trying to destroy the world. But a Real Mew. I'm not really sure, but it may of been The Mew. I'm not exactly sure how that could be, it'd have to be thousands of years old. But the power radiating from the small creature as it floated at the front line of a seeming army of wild pokemon as it looked out to the monsters over the sea just seemed and felt so powerful.. and Old. How exactly I felt that through the tv is beyond me as well, but you could see it radiating through the air and through all the other pokemon as they stood stock still. Both sides eyeing each other and watching The Mew to see what it'd do. I'd like to know how they got cameras to that meeting and if they actually have any footage left, it'd be nice to see it again. After that first viewing I never saw it again. The most bitching thing about it though, is that I didn't see what happened, despite being in front of the telly, watching, waiting, I held my breath. The screen flashed and I had to look away and when I looked back again the screen was all staticy for about two minutes before another screen came on with some man sitting behind a desk looking shocked and dumbfounded as he looked off to the side of the screen at his own little viewing screen.

The Mew disappeared after that but the monster things didn't. They kept coming and started devouring Kanto just like they'd done to Houen. There had been no news from anywhere in Houen since a day and a half before the monsters came to get us. The tv people said that most likely all the radio towers and tv stations had been blown up or knocked over, that sort of thing, and that was why. They expected satellites to get them back in no time. Heard about as much news from Houen again as I saw The Mew again sitting there in front of the telly as I watched the world around me being destroyed.

I hope that clears up a little on the events in the past so and so months leading up to the now. It's mostly stuff I've picked up and remembered from different points. If I forgot something, well stuff it, it's stressing in these times as you should know and that's a perfectly good excuse and it'll probably be mentioned at some point down the track later anyways.

Signing off now.

Signed: Clarissa K. Klark.

* * *

Previously.

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Three weeks of sitting there, watching the tv as it was happening..

A short buzz, crackle then static for five or ten minutes. Slowly voices emerge. Urgent, frightened, scared.. They don't last long, maybe another three or four minutes before being cut out. Then there's the static again. How long.. it doesn't really matter any more, it's just the same now.

Two days ago they'd last at least ten minutes before being cut.

A week ago you could see the picture.

Two weeks and all the stations still worked.

Eighteen days and there was still normal programs now and then.

A month and everything was as it always was.

Now it's just the buzz and crackle, occasionally a voice through the static, but little else. Only two stations even get that, all the rest are dead. But it's something. Better than the radio at least. Much better than just the silence and not knowing at all. Just waiting for them to come.. No, it's better with the tv on. At least then there's something to hope for.

A bang. A crash.

She startles and glances around. Is it them? Have they finally found her?

Then voices, shouts in the distance at first.. Gradually getting closer.

Then whispers in the corridor.

She quickly gets up out of her chair, turning the tv off on her way and rushes to the kitchen to grab something, anything to defend herself with. She's not going without a fight.

More voices, louder again and closer.

Knife in hand she crouches behind the kitchen counter, glaring at the passageway to the front door. They're here.. She takes a deep breath and waits, counting the seconds in the silence between the spoken words.

"Can't be much further."

"Just hurry up, this place is infested with them."

"Nearly got it Sir. It's one of these doors, I'm sure of it."

"You said that about the last four levels.." a grumble from a third female voice.

Silence again as the voices are hushed. She grips her knife harder and reminds herself to breathe. They're just outside the door, she's sure of it. Maybe they'll just pass, they couldn't be looking for her specifically. There's lots of apartments in this building. She tries to reassure herself but in her gut she knows they're coming for her. Why she couldn't answer.

Another crash and now there's footsteps in the passageway.

She doesn't give them long, she runs at the first one just as they exit the passage into the main room. There's no lights on, but the moon's shining through one of the windows at just the right angle to silhouette the figure. She screams, aiming to get the knife into anything she can reach as she lunges. Another scream but this time of surprise. Something's run up beside her and grabbed her, knocking the knife out of her hand.

"ARGH! Goddamnit! She bit me! She God damn well BIT ME!"

"Serves you right Sur', shouldn't of grabbed her like that."

"Oh shut up you." There's a snarl in the voice and she smirks to herself from her new hiding spot. There's shufflings around the room, they're searching for her, surprisingly quite. But she's listening, ignoring the drumming sound of her heart in her ears and counting her breaths. Waiting for the right time to escape, she wont be captured, it's a pity she lost the knife, she would of liked to of fought instead of having to run like this, but she'll do what she has to. She waits for the right moment. Just as one set of feet pass in front of her she quickly presses the button on the remote. "Please, don't just be static.." she whispers.

A shriek fills the room and the intruders drop to the ground. She takes her chance as they're distracted and runs. Shoving one of the people out of her way as she runs out of the lounge and down the passageway to the front door. Once in the corridor of the building she can try for another place to hide in hopefully.

But she doesn't get the chance. A step out of her apartment and she slams into something hard..

"Where'd that wall come from..." and she faints.

A quiet groan and she slowly wakes up.

Eyes blink a few times, ridding themselves of sleep and she finds herself staring at a blank grey ceiling. Head turned and there's a blank grey wall to match the ceiling. The opposite wall isn't much better, just further away.

Taking her time to sit up and awaken as she finds herself with a splitting headache but still manages to look around the room properly, or at least, as best she can in the dim light.

Still not much better than what she first saw. A small room, more a walk in closet than a room in her opinion. There's herself, the uncomfortable bed she awoke on, a tin sink in the corner and a single lonely chair in the corner. All the walls are bare and the same dull grey, as is the floor. The door is a slightly darker grey with a series of slitted fogged windows along it's top half from left to right. The dull glow of light is coming from through those but little else.

Trying the door and finding it locked she mumbles as she moves back to her makeshift bed, "Figures... " Sitting in the corner of the bed she pulls her legs up to her chest, hugging them as she waits.

"Where on earth am I.."

A long time later there's sounds.

Movements coming from outside the door, along whatever passageway may be on the other side.

She quickly moves herself, uncramping her stiff body from so long sitting in the single position.

"Why on earth didn't you tell me you'd found her already. And brought her here for that matter! For god's sake-!" A grumpy male voice.

"Hey, we were busy weren't we-" Something familiar and whiney.

"No excuses!"

"This place _was_ under attack only a short while ago.." A third female voice.

"Yes and who's fault exactly was that?"

"Well..."

"I thought so."

A pause and she glares at the locked door from where she stands next to the bed. Waiting and expecting.. expecting what exactly she's not completely sure.

Tinkle of keys and then a click as the door unlocks. Another click and the room's flooded with light, making her shield her eyes as three figures make their way into the room.

She mumbles as she slowly brings her arms down again and tries to see who exactly it is these people are. There's three of course, one for each of the voices that had been speaking as they came closer to her room. One short, older and balding and in a scientist's suit, she guesses him to be the grumpy one. The woman's obvious. Similar height to the last, tanned and with her hair pulled tightly back into a knot of some kind, with still a large portion of her hair still covering half her face. A white tank top and cargo pants are a surprise next to the scientist suit. Last is a Pokemorph. She blinks as she looks at him. He looks completely out of place, excluding a bandage around his lower left arm he looks like the anthroized equivalent of a designer model, with black fur of course.

"Ah, good you are awake. I hope you are doing ok miss." The older man spoke," I am very sorry for you having been left here all alone for so long. But someone forgot to mention that you had arrived..," he shot a glare at the 'morph. "I do hope we can make up for your inconvenience."

She just stared at him blankly. "What?"

Suddenly an alarm blared and the room was bathed in a red glow momentarily. Becoming normal again for a short instance of silence before the room turned red again as the alarm sounded off once more. Red, grey, red, grey.

She covered her ears as the sound bounced off each of the walls of the small room. It was really not an enjoyable experience. Worse than the stupid car alarms that came with really expensive cars that squealed at the slightest touch. The anthro seemed to be thinking much the same, his ears were pinned back against his head as his face was scrunched up in distaste.

"What on earth is going on now. I thought we got rid of the last of them," The woman shouted over the alarms.

"Maybe it's something else?" the 'morph whined in response.

The older man pulled out a small communicator of some kind and started yelling into it, trying to hear the responses over the loud noise. The conversation didn't last long and she really didn't like the expression that appeared on the man's face as he finished the call. "We must leave _now_."

The alarms stopped.

The other two looked at him oddly in the sudden silence.

"What's going on?" She just managed to say, but none of them seemed to notice.

"There's been a breach, we have to evacuate this facility, _Now_." The woman looked scared and the morph didn't look much better.

What did they mean there'd been a breach?

She didn't get much time to speculate. The older man quickly started off back down where he'd come from, the 'morph moving just as quickly after him. If it hadn't of been for the moments pause the older man gave to turn his head and shout back to the lady who was last to leave the room, she doubted that she'd even of been remembered.

"Come on, we aren't losing you now after all the trouble we went through to get you in the first place," and the lady grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the room. A corridor, the same lifeless grey as the room she'd been in. Not really that much of a surprise, she wasn't really expecting rainbows. If there had actually been any real features she didn't notice any, she was being pulled so fast she had to use all her attention to keep from tripping over her own feet.

Her legs were burning from the intense strain being put upon them after weeks of minimal use after only a short while and that wasn't much fun. Her breath wasn't any better either. But any attempts of complaint or well, anything in general was ignored as the woman just continued to pull her down one corridor then the next, turning every now and then, down this way or that. She was completely lost within minutes.

The first real stop they had was after they'd moved through two large pairs of white steel doors and into a dining room of some sort. She nearly collapsed on the spot from over exhaustion. Spotting this the lady had quickly moved to grab her around the waist and held her up as she tried to catch her breath. "Come on, you can't be that tired already, we've probably got a while to go yet." She would of replied but for the fact she could barely breath and needed to concentrate on that.

"You took your time. They've already completely taken over three levels and nearly two more. I don't know how you expect us to get out of here."

She looked up to see who the new voice was.

There were three. Again. This time though they were all male. An army guy. A nerd. And a giant of some kind. She just stared. This was all much too confusing, she didn't have the slightest idea what was going on, who these people were or what they wanted with her and she really would of appreciated some answers.

But of course this wasn't the appropriate time.

"Well shit."

"Watch your mouth young lady," the older man glared to the woman holding onto her before looking to the army guy who'd spoken previously, "We'll use the Warp Room."

"What! No!" The black anthro suddenly jumped up as if something had stung his backside. "We can't use that! We don't know what'll happen!"

"We do know what could theoretically happen if we use it.." A slow quiet murmur from the corner was the nerdy guy as he looked up from a hand held computer and pushed his glasses further up his nose.

"Yes! See! That means we could be blown up! Turned into tiny bits of nothing and flung everywhere! Become giant walking, talking, squirting n squeaking and well! I- I dunno... Big giant green blobs of glue! Imagine what it'd do to my complexion!" The morph ranted, waving his arms around to empathise before plastering his hands to his face in horror at the last thought and turning slightly green at the idea.

"Be quite Sulphur!" The army guy snapped at the morph, "If the Doctor believes that we'll be fine, we will be fine."

"Well that wins my vote.." was a sarcastic whisper near her ear. The woman obviously.

"Yes, yes, we'll be perfectly fine. I'm pretty sure we've worked out all the bugs that had been happening when we tried before. There really shouldn't be anything to worry about. We'll be just fine. We just have to get to the third level and to the right wing passageway. It shouldn't be too much trouble. Simple really."

The look on nearly everyone elses face was not encouraging.

A blast from back the way they had come sent the room shaking and most of them to the floor, excluding only the giant and army guy who both stood their ground as the floor shook. "Well come on then, they're getting even closer if that blast is anything to go by." And with that they were out a door on the opposite side of the room. First the army guy and older man, next the frantic black morph, the nerd, then herself and the woman, last to come was the giant who lumbered along behind them seemingly oblivious to everything that was going on.

They were lucky. There was nearly no trouble until they arrived just beyond where they were aiming for. Little more than a couple of detours for caved in walls and rooves, or sudden gaping holes in the floor. But now they were stuck. The entire passageway ahead was little more than a wall of burning flames, impassable. It was also the only passage that allowed them into where they needed to go.

The army guy suddenly appeared next to her, then moved further down the line to the giant at the back. "Come on 'Bur, you can make yourself useful." The giant looked down at the smaller man, head tilted slightly. "O-K." A low gravelly voice, much like stones rubbing against each other and somehow forming sounds enough to make words. The giant followed after the army guy as he made his way back to the front of the line, pushing everyone back against the sides of the passage so that the giant could get past without squashing anyone too badly.

Once they were past she quickly stepped forwards, trying to see what the army guy was going to get the giant to do. She missed it though.

"So you're who we've been looking for are you?"

"Uh. Huh?"

"I'd of thought you'd be older.. or younger maybe. Well, at least different. You don't really look anything special do you?" The nerd of a guy was right up close to her face and she was forced to step backwards.

"Uh, I don't?" She didn't know what to say.

"I guess I really shouldn't be surprised. Conner said I shouldn't assume things so much." He continued to eye her as he pushed his glasses up his nose again. "Oh well. I just hope _he_ isn't assuming too much when it comes to you." Before she could reply he'd turned back around, straightening up and started down the now non-firey, but definitely very black and crushed looking corridor after the rest of them. The giant and army guy had obviously already done what ever it was they needed to to get them past, oh well.

"Come on girl, move your feet, we'll be left behind," and she was suddenly shoved hard from behind by the woman that was still her appointed 'guide'.

Less than ten meters further down there was a large hole in the wall, about the same size as the giant and they stepped through it into a huge room. She would of stopped and paused to look around if it weren't for the fact she was being pulled again by the woman to make sure she moved. "Where are we?" she just managed to say as her arm was tugged harder, forcing her to keep moving after an attempt at pausing to look around. "One of the containment centers, now hush and keep walking, we don't want to be left behind." The woman hissed as she continued to pull her.

They quickly walked along the set steel walkway, then down three flights of stairs to another walk way just above the ground level.

She wasn't feeling all that safe with the process. With each step the giant took he shook the entire structure. The black morph looked about as secure as she felt. Especially if the way he gripped the railings so tightly that she could see his knuckles through his fur was anything to go by.

"Not much longer now.. Just the end of this and we'll be there, all safe and sound, nothing to worry about now."

"He shouldn't of said that, we'll be jinxed now," whined the black morph soon after the older man had spoken.

He wasn't wrong.

They all ducked as there was an unexpected explosion, then a whistle that flew over their heads to crash upon the ground somewhere below them. Within moments the entire free air was raining with whistles that crashed into the ground a good half dozen meters below them. The walkway they were on was shuddering worse than ever now, loud creaks and groans added to show the structure was not happy. For that matter the entire place didn't seem very happy. The walls were starting to crumble as the floor continued to light up with small explosions that filled the air with smoke and as well as the falling whatevers, the roof in general was starting to drop bits of rubble on top of them all.

"Come on hurry up, keep moving. One of the supports are going to fail if it continues on like this and we'll be fucked then." The army guy barked back at them as he tried to urge the giant ahead of them all.

"He's going to jinx us again.."

"Oh shut up Sulphur, if I didn't know any better I'd say it was _you_ who jinxed us all the time."

"Hey!"

The giant, the army guy, the old guy, the whining morph and the nerd had all made it before there was an explosion large enough to rock the entire walkway so hard that it twisted some of the supports. With that first push everything became unstable, it now wasn't taking much to send the whole thing shuddering violently down it's entire length so bad that it was near impossible to stand. The thing was lurching this way and that, groaning as if it were in it's last death throes.

"Come on girl, get up, we've got to keep going, it's just a couple more meters," and she suddenly found an arm around her again after having lost it after that first big lurch. As the arm took a better grip around her she was heaved up onto her feet then leaned closer to one of the side railings as the structure lurched heavily to one side again, trying to slide her feet out from under her once more. "Just keep your footing and hold onto this rail, use your hands and pull yourself along if you have to. But keep moving I'll be right behind you." And the arm was gone again leaving her to grab at the railings and pull herself closer to it to steady herself as the thing lurched yet again. "MOVE GIRL!" Yelping in surprise at the force of the woman's voice she started pulling herself along, ignoring the sickening feeling in her stomach and the near deafening sounds of the distressing groans the walkway was making, the still continuous whistlings of things falling around her ears then the explosions as what ever they were hit the ground below.

Suddenly the entire structure buckled and within moments it was falling down towards the ground below. She screamed and she knew the woman behind her had as well. A jolt to her leg and she stopped the scream with a loud yelp as her knees jarred from the sudden shock. But to her surprise she wasn't rolling down off the walk way, it was flat and unmoving again, only shaking slightly as it continued to groan in complaint. "What the-?" she looked up to see the giant had grabbed hold of the end of the walkway between his large hands, bracing himself with his legs to hold it up and keep it from continuing to fall. The strain wasn't obvious on him, but the urgent tones of voices that found there way to her ears over all the other noises told her to hurry up. Gathering herself together again she ran the rest of the way, letting go her tight grip on the railing as the walkway was still enough that she wasn't so worried she'd fall off. Nearly the moment she'd reached the entrance way to the next area and just got past the giant the woman fell in behind her and with that there was a tremendous crash as the giant let go of the structure and let it fall the rest of the way to the ground. Everyone braced themselves for a moment against the walls before rushing further ahead, scared that the entrance way might collapse after the support of the walkway had been removed.

Finding herself near the front of the group she found herself one of the first within the next room. Tiny compared to the last, but still a good deal larger than the room she'd found herself in at the start. This room had only two features. A desk with a computer console next to it and a black doorway that wasn't the one she'd come through. The wall the black door was in was entirely made of dirt and rock, which was completely different to the usual grey steel that seemed to make up the rest of the complex.

She spun around as the rest of them filed into the room after her, "Where are we now?" she tried to ask _anyone_. But yet again she was ignored as they all moved to different points in the room, the giant staying closest to the door while the old guy with the nerd and army guy stepped over to the computer console.

"See, just like I said, perfectly fine. There shouldn't be any problems and if you follow these directions exactly you should be all right. Uh, so who would be up to going first?" The older guy didn't seem so sure of himself as he picked up a small stack of papers from the desk and looked around.

"I'll go first, I've been studying this and I'm sure I could remember the directions well enough we wont get lost.." The nerd mumbled as he leaned over the computer console then the older man to look at the papers. "I know how this thing works. Where as these others don't." He waved a hand in everyone else's general direction. "There should be no problems." She didn't like that snobby sort of voice the nerd had, but doubted she could do much about it.

"Fine fine, if you're sure then David. Here take these.. and these too, you might need to use them," and the older man started shuffling through the papers in front of him, picking out one or two every now and then and handing them to the younger man.

Bored, she looked around to everyone else. The morph was obviously panicky, dancing on the spot and bothering the woman where she stood nearby. The woman herself seemed somewhat nervous but attempting to hide it as she snapped at the annoying hyper-activity directed at her from the morph. The giant seemed oblivious again as it watched down the entrance way they'd come from for whatever might come after them. And then there was the three men by the console. The nerd and the scientist were busy with the papers while the army guy was attempting to try and understand some of what was going on between them, but was obviously floundering between all the techno babble. That left her the odd one out. The only one really not understanding what was going on, what they wanted with her, what she was doing there, where she was, where was she going and a whole heap of other things. She sighed and took a step back. "Why'd they have to come and get me.. I was doing just fine where I was."

She had the chance to mull over her thoughts for the next fifteen minutes or so until something else happened. She was too uncertain of herself to go up to any of the others and ask them something. Anyway, they seemed busy, well most. The woman and jittery morph had parted, but the woman looked broody and the morph kept giving her odd looks she didn't appreciate.

The giant was the first to make a noise other than the swapping of thoughts between the three at the console. "Come-Ing.." Everyone had looked up in moments. Shaken out of whatever world they'd been in previously with the word the giant said. "What's coming 'Bur?" The army guy quickly hurried over next to the giant and looked up past him down the entrance way. He quickly turned on his heels and dived to the ground, "Oh Shit! DUCK!" Everyone hit the floor as a burst of flames exploded outwards from the entrance way, frying everything black the flames could reach.

On his feet again in moments he'd gone back to the console and grabbed the two still there and was dragging them towards the black door as quickly as possible, grabbing the black morph by one of his ears on his way. "Come on everyone, it's time to leave. No more time to delay now. They're in the containment center we were in. They'll be in here any moment."

The woman quickly hurried of her own accord towards the black door, all nervousness of previous gone as fear for what was coming over took it. She would of stayed frozen to the spot if it weren't for the fact a very large hand found itself around her waist and picked her up on it's owners way to the black door. Surprisingly warm she looked up at the pure black giant. He hadn't been able to get out of the way of the blast quite quick enough, he was scorched black from the flames that had blasted him. He didn't seem the slightest bit phased though, he just smiled down at her with white teeth and took the last few steps to the doorway and put her down again in front of himself.

"Ok, David first, he knows where we're going. Sue you're next, hold onto Sulpher tight wont you? We don't need him startling and trying to break away. We'll have the girl next," The army guy paused to glare at the black morph as he made to complain after glancing at her to make sure she was nearby, "Then Conner, 'Bur and I'll be last. Any questions?"

No one made a sound for a couple of seconds before the older man spoke up cautiously. "Actually, I'll come last, I have something I'll need to do once everyone's gone to make sure we aren't followed." The army guy glared at him, "You can show me what's to be done and I'll do it, you're not coming last." "No, no. I'm sorry. But I have to do it, you wont remember it all. Don't worry, I'll be fine." He smiled weakly and the black morph shuffled nervously.

Another blast of flames shot up out of the entrance way followed by an echo of child like laughter.

"Shit."

"Come on, we have to leave now."

"They know we're here Sir."

"They're gonna kill us, they're gonna kills us, they're gonna kill us."

"Fine. Everyone move. NOW!"

And suddenly everyone had at least one hand in the palm of anothers and a chain had formed between them all. Next moment they were moving. The nerd disappearing first through the black door, quickly followed next by the woman who held her breath as she passed over the line, then the black morph who's ears were lowered and pinned back as well as his eyes scrunched tightly closed as he follow after. She was next and found herself tugged slightly as she felt the giant's hand around hers and his unmovable resistance to her moving forwards.

"Don't look at me like that. You've got no other way to combat them and they'll know how to follow you through one of these. They helped make this thing!"

An argument had broken out between the army guy and the older man, the giant wasn't willing to move forwards until it knew it was being followed. The tugging on both of her arms was not enjoyable.

"There has to be another way, you wont stand a chance against them!"

"A better one than you will. Anyways, get moving, they're nearly here, you can _hear_ them. And if we can hear them they can _hear_ us. And you know what that means! Move man!"

A burst of laughter froze the four figures as they all looked towards the entrance way. But they didn't have time to wonder. The older man had shoved the army guy towards the giant. "Take him 'Bur, don't let him go whatever he says, he wont live otherwise." The giant didn't seem to move, but he had the army guy tightly within his hold before she even knew what was happening.

"Just remember to tell her! Find the others! But tell her! Don't forget-!"

She didn't hear any more. With a fierce tug and the slack on her other arm she was pulled through the black door that hadn't really been a door at all, but a black part of the wall and into a world of darkness.

"Oh shi-!"

* * *

**Click.**

_Cybernetics™ would like to Congratulate you on making your first Cybernetic™ purchase._

**Click.

* * *

**

**A note from Head administrator of Cybernetics_™_ Inc, Gerald De 'Jar the 5th.**

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**

Life started out fine for me. Perfect in fact. I'd of had it no other way, despite everything that has happened within it since and what others may think. I have found it perfect and would not remove a moment of it from my existence.

I have always had the best of life, coming from a rich and extensive family I had anything I could possibly ask for when ever I should desire to ask.

People are often unsurprised when I tell them what my parents did for a living, my Mother, January Sa'rule De 'Jar, was an engineer and scientist for Silph Co. working on all the latest technological advancements for our civilisation and my Father, Sean Perry De 'Jar was a Pokemon Researcher, one of the last remaining in our day and age.

My parents loved and cared for each other dearly, that was beyond doubt. But they did have one thing they disputed often about, this was the relevance of Pokemon in the modern day. My Father was of the old beliefs that Pokemon were what made the world go round, that it was because of them that we became what we are now. Where as my Mother believed strongly that humans were the ultimate creation upon this world and it was only because we chose so that Pokemon were even still in abundance, that if it weren't for the human race, Pokemon could never of lasted as long as they have and that now it was the time to go beyond their capabilities, to make a stand alone for our own race, to no longer depend on another. The arguments that raged over this subject would leave the house hold in dishevel for days, even weeks at a time. But my parents loved each other, and, eventually, they'd make up and get on with things. The subject of the relevance of Pokemon was a very tentative one within our household and those who lived there and even those who visited learnt better than to bring it up, least they be brought into the argument.

Of course, nothing remains like it is forever, things change as others happen creating new situations and outcomes.

It was my Mother's fault. She worked long hours away from the house, in her office over the weekends and holidays, away from the family. My Father should of realised something was wrong, that something was going on. But he was blind and held strong his beliefs. He died the day he found out his wife had been having an affair for nearly two years. Not in the literal sense of course, it was my Father who gave me the idea for what I do now, and that wasn't for another ten years or so. No, my Father died inside, he became a living shell devoid of emotions. It was a strange experience as a child. At the time I had no idea, I was barely ten years old and nothing was ever said of what had happened to me. The family unit did not break up, we remained as one. Cold and lifeless for the most, but with that rare occasional glimpse of warmth every now and then.

With my Father's death his job, his life's work began to fall around him. He barely noticed of course, he cared nothing for it any longer. It did make little difference to the house as it was, my Mother was the main bread winner, she brought home the income and money we lived comfortably on. My Father's chosen life style was more a hobby as far as it was financially concerned. No one needed or cared enough about Pokemon anymore to really need his line of work, his professional help with anything. So when it disappeared there was really no one to complain or worry about it.

So we continued life as we had. The only real difference, my Father's increased presence around the house. But I didn't mind, I had more chance to socialise with a man I knew little about and looked up to. Though I soon gave up on that endeavour as he'd more often than not just wave me off, leaving him to sit with his single Pokemon my Mother would allow within the house. A small golden furred electric mouse, a Pikachu.

As I grew and learnt, I found myself more interested in my Mother's taste of work. The synthetic, the human made and created. Technology was all around us and I was learning how it was thought of, created and made. An interesting process to say the least.

Things were changing, people were looking for something new. Pokemon were no longer the entertainment they had once been, the novelty of the anthro's was wearing thin. People wanted new interests, something to spoil themselves with. Gaming and the sort were all good and well for their own purpose, but people wanted something more there, physical, that they could put their hands on.

Twenty-five and my Father's last few traces of life that he'd gradually regained back were disappearing again. His pet, his prized possession, it was dying. There was nothing that could done for it, the creature had lived the full length of life the rodent Pokemon was restricted to. My Father knew this, but would not believe. He went to all the specialists he could find, anyone who he thought might even give the slightest chance of help. But of course there was no one.

Two things happened at once around this time. First I realised my love for my Synthetic. And as I did, I realised something, something I could do to change things. I was too late to help my Father, he died soon after his pet as my first few projects failed. But I had the idea, something new had been borne and I was determined to succeed.

It took time, a lot of patience, but I started getting somewhere. There was one problem though, one thing I just couldn't get past to get it all to work. As hard as I tried as many different solutions as I could think of, they all failed. It was as if I was doomed to fail despite everything.

Then Sin saved me.

Logged: GDeJV

* * *

Two Years Previous.

* * *

I was one of the first to get a Cybernetic. Not surprising really when you realise where it is I lived.

My mother is one of the servants for one of the richest men in the world, Gerald De 'Jar, the head honcho dude of Cybernetics Incorporated, and with her being one of the head honcho ladies in the manor, we lived on the property. That of course doesn't really mean that I had to have one, like really, why would one of the richest guys in the world care about a servants kid? Well actually you're right, he didn't give a crap about me. It was his son, Sean De'Jar II, he gave me one of his when we were a lot younger. Despite the fact I was two years older than him we were best friends. I was the only young person nearby, so we were kinda friends by default really.

It wasn't that great of course, it was pretty much a prototype of what eventually came out as public merchandise, breaking down all the time and malfunctioning so often you wouldn't believe, but it _was_ a Cybernetic. Very chunky and ungainly like in appearance, it didn't even look much like the Pokemon it was supposed to represent and it didn't have any of the proper features any standard Cybernetic has now, but it was incredible at the time.

Sean had said to his father at some point we were friends and that if he was gonna give him stuff to test out, it'd be better if we both got one so we could play together. I guess his dad thought that was ok, or good research or something like that and so I got one of the next Cybernetics that was released along with Sean.

I was six and he was four at the time and I really wish I'd been able to keep that first one. It'd be an extremely valuable collectors item now. Just imagine it, a genuine prototype Cybernetic, it'd be like, nearly priceless. Oh well.

A couple of years went by and we kept being given the upgraded models as they came out as prototypes, to try them out and all. Every one was a major improvement over the last, something new and utterly cool about it that made it that much better than the previous. Four years on from the first one and we got the first element prototypes, one of the ones that could actually do real fighting. A QUIL487 and SQui443. It was the first time I'd ever even seen something with elements made into it, and well, it totally surprised me the first time mine suddenly burst into flames. Me and Sean had great fun playing with the fire and water elements that had been put into the new Cybernetics. All the previous models had been modelled after Rattata, Sentret and other simple normal type Pokemon.

One more year and the first few Cybernetics were on the market. I was so proud that I already had one and that whenever something new came out (as more and more did), I always had it months before anyone else, excluding of course Sean. I would show off every chance I could get, boast and the such like to any who'd listen. And believe me there were always a lot of them, most of them were rich snobs who couldn't believe a servants child could have things better than them, but that just made it all the better. I loved it and Sean didn't seem to mind it that much either when he got the chances to be there as well.

We had the best matches against each other, me and Sean. Despite the fact he was two years younger than me he was more the able to equal my abilities. It helped we had the same equal equipment of course.

A couple more years still and Cybernetics were cheap enough for the average person to start being able to purchase the older models as bigger and better ones kept coming out at the top of the range. It was around then I found the one Cybernetic for me. The one I fell in love with and became my prized possession. It was one of the later models that me and Sean weren't allowed to be testers for because it was too powerful for us to control if it managed to malfunction or just generally went crazy on us. As some of the prototypes happened to do. An ARC48770.

I didn't actually get to see him until a couple of months after he'd come out. Sitting in one of the major department store windows in central Neon City. Just staring blankly forwards with a dull eye as he waited to be installed and have his programs uploaded to bring him to life. He was the top of the range then. And by top of the range I mean that maybe eight people in the entire world could of afforded him at the time. Waaay out of my price range. I had absolutely no chance of being able to get him. As much as I could of begged and pleaded I new there was no possible way I'd be able to get him. It wasn't just the price, no one believed I was old enough yet to be able to control something as powerful as an ARC.

More years passed and Cybernetics had officially become 'the in thing', everyone who was anyone had one, and even those who weren't did as well. Pretty much everyone had a Cybernetic and the first tournaments started as all the improvements, the add-ons, all the extras started coming out into the market to improve your Cybernetic.

Thirteen, nearly fourteen and I had won out nationally as the Cybernetic champion. No one could beat me, no matter what I was given and who opposed me. But I didn't have my own Cybernetic. Well, I had heaps really by then, but none of them really clicked with me so much that I wanted to keep them over any extended period of time. Most of the time they were traded in for something better, or given to Sean. He seemed to enjoy the company of the things increasingly, despite the fact he'd started to lose the want to battle them against each other.

Finally fourteen and I still hadn't found a Cybernetic I clicked with like I wanted. I celebrated my birthday back in Neon City, my home town. Sean was there as well as all the new friends I'd made travelling around, competing for the National Champion title. It was a ball, one of the best days of my life as I had a party like I'd never had before. So many people and so much extravagance. With my title I'd won a bundle of money as well as some of the newest and best Cybernetics inhancers. My ma thought that since I'd worked so hard for what I'd won and well, I dunno, other stuff I guess, she let me have a real big party in one of the poshest places in Neon City.

I hardly saw Sean at all during the party but I don't think I really noticed until the next day. He didn't seem to mind so much though. He dragged me back to his place, just out of the City on the next day, muttering something about a surprise.

I nearly fainted when I saw what he'd got me. It was an ARC.

I couldn't stop saying my thanks to him for weeks afterwards. I was so damned happy that I'd finally gotten the one thing I'd wanted for so long. Despite all the Cybernetics I'd used and had over the years, I still had never managed to get an ARC unit until that point. There was just something about them that stopped people from giving one to me, or maybe it was just fate that I was supposed to get this certain one. I'm not that sure, but I know I was so damned pleased to get that ARC that I didn't even notice for ages what bad shape he was in until I started trying to add various enhancements I'd been saving up for something special. He needed to be completely revamped, all his hard drives completely wiped then to be re-installed. But after it was all done and worked out I had the best team mate I could ever of possibly dreamed of.

I had my ARC.

Jamie.

* * *

Later.

* * *

I didn't really know my father. He was a strange man, even to me.

He didn't seem to be able to relate with anyone. Except maybe his creations.. and the woman I called mother. Who couldn't possibly of been as such.

I'm not really worried about this. Not troubled either, despite what numerable therapists and psychiatrists might believe.

I had a friend. One true friend through my life and that was all I needed.

Jamie was a servants son, but I didn't understand that in the beginning, and even after I learnt what that meant, it made no difference to my opinion of him. Jamie was my best friend. My only friend for most of my younger life. Teachers, tutors, educators, well, those sorts of people, (all uppercrust, as is to be expected for a family so well off,) they thought it wrong I associate with someone of a lower class, that I should be friends with the other rich people's children. But they were shallow, with very little substance or anything to them. Like my father in a way. I couldn't relate to them nor them to me. They thought I was weird, odd, strange. I wasn't like them, I didn't act like them.

Jamie never seemed to notice, or care. He was just my friend.

That's why I got him the ARC.

_Because he was my friend.

* * *

_

And that's part one. Once I figure out what happens next I'll get that up ;

Bye! wavies

Hope you enjoyed n such.

ps. if Alto Mare isn't the name of the water city for the new movie, can someone say, I'm not really totally sure. Thanks anyways.


	2. Hints Of An Old World

Part two.

* * *

Hints Of An Old World

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**Click.**

_Cybernetics™ would like to announce the arrival of previously unreleased Cybernetic™ products to a store near you!_

**Click.

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The darkness was creepy. It was solid and thick and covered everything, even if she had been able to, she doubted she'd of been able to see her hand if she'd waved it right in front of her face. That wasn't the worst of it though, as well as it being pitch black it was completely silent. There was absolutely no sound what so ever. Not even her breath as she breathed, not her footsteps or rustling of clothes as she moved. Not even from the people around her! It was beyond creepy.

The only way she was sure she was even moving and that she wasn't alone was the continual tug on her hands by someone behind and someone in front of her. It was the only remotely reassuring thing in the whole experience, that and the hope that it'd be over soon.

Which of course it wasn't.

What felt like weeks, months, later, but was really less than hours of pure darkness, was finally over.

And now it was worse.

She didn't even have time to see where on earth they'd come out of or where they were now. The moment they had left the darkness she'd fallen maybe a foot or two and wasn't able to get up. Her body was in complete shock. It was frozen stiff, or at least, felt very much like being so. She was shivering so badly she couldn't believe her body could even do that. The sound of her teeth chattering would of made her worry about them breaking but for the fact she was preoccupied with trying to warm herself up any way possible.

Fifteen-twenty minutes later and the coldness had finally decided to sub-side. Leaving her still shivering but able to move and look around without having to completely focus on trying to get herself warm.

Around her everyone else didn't look to of fared that much better than herself. The only one who didn't seem so badly shaken was the giant, but she was starting to think not very much effected him so wasn't overly surprised. The black morph was sitting up and hugging himself, muttering under his breath words she probably didn't want to hear properly anyway. The lady was leaning against something and rubbing her arms. Last the army guy and nerd were together. The nerd didn't seem to of fared well at all. He looked like she'd felt ten minutes ago and the army guy looked worried. The giant was standing over the both of them looking lost as to what he could do.

She just sat and watched them, seeing what they'd do. She still didn't know who these people were, if she was a prisoner or not and or if they were even really friendly. Plus, she wasn't overly compassionate.

A few minutes later and the nerd was doing better. They hadn't even really done anything, it just seemed everyone took different amounts of time to get over what ever it was that had happened to them. It didn't really look like it did anything permanent though, just made you bloody cold for a certain amount of time.

"I vote we don't do that again." The black morph was the first to speak, or complain, which ever way you chose to look at it. Most everyone seemed to be in agreeance with the thought though from what she could tell.

"As much as I really would prefer we don't use that awful thing again, we most probably will have to. We don't know where we are and pretty much the entire Kanto region is infested with Demons. We need to find a safe place and warp rooms make the best form of long distance travel we have available." The nerd was obviously feeling much better.

"But I thought those things were supposed to be hard to find, or rare or something." The woman's first comment.

"Yes, well. We're fairly sure there's a very large number of them. And from what we've been able to figure they do have entrances at vaguely familiar sites to each other. They shouldn't be _too_ hard to find if need be." She wasn't feeling overly confident at the thought.

Suddenly something clicked in her mind. But before she got the chance to speak someone else noticed by something else. "Where on earth are we? I've never seen anything like this place before."

Which even she had to agree with after having a real look. Everyone else seemed to be doing the same as she did.

It was a change to the all steel of the other place, this time it was all stone. Carved and sculptured stone though. Nothing like a cave, she did expect them to be underground again though due to the lack of windows or light. She couldn't see the roof above them but that was mostly due to the general darkness of the place. There were a couple of shafts of light reaching down from somewhere above to splash across the ground but it was moonlight, not sun and it didn't light anything up very well. From what she could see this place was old. Very very old. She probably would of guessed thousands of years but would of been wrong by millennia's. Plants and roots where overgrowing everything pretty much, pushing a lot of the stonework out of place and displacing completely even more. There were obviously markings on a lot of the surfaces as there were slight grooves here and there but most of them had been worn away by time. The room they were all in wasn't actually that big, little more than the size of the last room they were in just with a much much higher roof. There was one entrance way and that was in front of where they'd come out of. There was only an empty wall behind them with a faint rectangular mark where a door might of been planned at one time but was never seemed to of gone forth with.

"Don't think we'll be going back the way we came then, hey?" The morph nudged the nerd as he went over to the wall to feel it, muttering something about there supposed to be another black door like the one they'd come through.

"Well as much as I'm sure we'd enjoy staying here, it would probably be a better idea if we searched for an exit to this place. Or at the very least, a room with more than one way in or out." The army guy was standing at the entrance and looking back at everyone expectantly before he turned around, not waiting for an answer and disappeared into the darkness beyond.

"Hey wait up!" and the morph ran quickly after, not wishing to be left in the room. The giant glanced back at the three of them before lumbering after the other two. Next the woman marched after them, rubbing her arms self-consciously. That left her and the nerd who was still muttering under his breath as he glared at the wall. She looked at him for a moment before deciding she'd prefer to be with the others over this guy and disappeared after them.

She did start off at a faster pace, but having stumbled at least six times and grazed her knees twice out of those she decided a slower one was perfectly fine. Anyway, she could hear the sounds of shuffling feet just ahead. She really did wish that there was more light though and that maybe that they'd made the floor to the place a little more resistant to plant growth. At least this darkness was less dark than the last and this time she could hear things. Scuffing of feet and the occasional swear word as someone knocked something.

The next room they came into wasn't too long after and was a much better size. There were four main beams of light this time, or at least, there had been. The one in the left hand far corner had collapsed along with the rest of the ceiling at some point a long time ago. A very long time ago because there was a full grown tree of some sort growing out of the rubble that could just be seen between a couple of boulders. But aside from that the place looked fit enough and there were five other entrances into it. Two on the opposite wall, one other on the side they'd just come out of, one behind an alter thing of some kind and then one half covered by the rubble. Aside from the alter, which was raised higher than the rest of the room by a series of platforms there was a large square pit that made up about a third of the floor reached by steps that once went right around the entire rim. Pillars held up the roof, the floor appeared to of been tiled at some point and the walls had been decorated in so much detail that a lot of it still remained. The general appearance of the place gave the impression that it was very important to someone or ones at some point in time.

"Well, this would seem to be our stop for the night. I'd prefer somewhere less out in the open than this but it would seem 'Bur has no desire to move from where he's sat and as I don't wish to split up our group just yet this is where we'll be staying." She looked around at the group, and sure enough the giant had sat himself down against one of the larger pillars at the far end of the room. She had to somewhat doubt the fact that it was really the army guy's decision to stay together as he'd said that was making them stay here. She just believed very strongly that there was no possible way to move the giant once he'd sat.

"Do make yourself as comfortable as possible while you enjoy your stay. We have a complimentary rock for you to sleep on. Or if you're in the mood for extra comfort we have a PILE of rocks for your added enjoyment!" The black morph was ranting in a sarcastic manner to no one in particular as he looked around between the rocks and rubble for somewhere comfortable to sleep, obviously not in a good mood or the least bit impressed with where their accommodation was going to be that night.

She looked around again to see the army guy and woman talking to each other near the alter and only stopped watching them when she heard a huffing and puffing behind her and turned around to be nearly knocked off her feet by a running nerd.

"AGH!"

"Watch it!"

Catching herself just in time she looked down at the nerd now sprawled out on the ground. "You know you really could watch where you're going." He just glared up at her, scrambled around for where he'd dropped his glasses then stood up to glare at her from a more comfortable hight. "If you hadn't of been standing there I wouldn't of had any trouble," he sneered right on back at her. She just huffed, turned on her heels and walked away from him. The sound of footsteps on stone heading towards where the army guy and woman were told the obvious as she found herself moving in the general direction of the giant and morph. The morph was still rambling on to himself in a disgusted tone, (about his clothes getting ruined now and hygiene,) while the giant didn't seem to of moved from the first time she saw him.

She was just sitting herself down, a short distance from the other two when there was a loud shout and the three sitting figures looked at the commotion going on between the three standing ones. It was the first time she noticed that the older man wasn't with them anymore. And this was the obvious subject of the argument. The nerd was _not_ happy. He was yelling at the top of his voice and waving his hands in the air like he were a mad loony. He also probably would of kept on doing that if it weren't for something the woman said in a hushed voice and he suddenly shut up very quickly. A foot was stamped and he said one last thing unheard by the three sitting figures before turning on his heels and stomping away from the other two. She would of missed it if she'd looked away a single second earlier but as it was she just caught the tail end, the nerd paused for the barest of moments to glare straight at her before he disappeared behind a pillar and didn't come out again, even after she'd looked back in his direction again.

"I wonder what all that was about.." she'd barely realised she'd spoken when an answer came her way.

"Oh they've just never got along too well them two. David and BJ that is. Clash of careers I'd say. You just don't mix army and science together, not a good mix. Anyways, add to that David obviously couldn't see what was going to happen while BJ did. Too up himself, David that is, doesn't notice anything outside of his radar and his radar's very small and only designed to notice specific things. Soo, we just had a big argument over what happened to Conner. Sooo obvious, like really. I can't believe he didn't realise." The morph crossed his arms as he looked at her and just before she could open her mouth to ask how he'd heard. "You see these things, they're not just for decoration, though they do look good," a grin.

"Oh."

The morph was still looking at her after she'd looked away to see what the woman and army guy were doing and looked back again. "What are you staring at?"

"You obviously. For like a saviour sort of thing, I thought you'd look something better. There's no sense of taste in anything you're wearing, your hair is a mess, you're not even wearing make-up or have any real natural grace or glow about you. There's not even a crappy little yellow aura around you or anything."

She just stared at him blankly.

"Oh right, you probably don't know do you? Seeing you ran into him," the morph indicated the giant, "when we first grabbed you. Then after we got back to the facility we just left now, there was an attack.. Sooo, no one probably went to see you before me and Sue did and then there's all this," he waved a black furred hand in general. "You haven't a clue do ya kid?" The morph was grinning at her in that pompous, 'I know something you don't know' sort of way.

"No I don't. I don't know why the hell I'm here or what you people want with me," she snapped at him impatiently. He was obviously going to tell her and she wanted to know now, she didn't want to play the guessing game.

"Oh I don't know. I don't think I really oughta be telling you this. It's not really my place or anything. It was supposed to be Conner.. Oh I don'-" "Just tell me would you? I've been waiting I don't know how long and I'm really not in the mood for your stupid games fur face." "Touchie. But fine. But only because it's supposed to be important and you should know and such, it's by no means because I like you. You're probably one of those spoilt brat kids who always got what they wanted or something anyways. And you obviously have something against my kind so I really don't know why I'm bothering." He flicked one of his long ears indignantly and sat back after a glance at the giant.

"You're the first part of a group of people, 'morphs, Pokemon-" She was just about to but in, but he raised his voice a little and continued faster so she wouldn't have the chance. "-that we need to find so we can stop this invasion thing that's happening. How exactly that's going to work I don't know. But I do know that we have to find you and five others and that you'll make a special group of some kind that can stop everything. Then everything will be happy go lucky all over again and we can go on with our merry lives without having to worry about being incinerated outside of voluntarily jumping into a volcano."

"That's it?"

He glared at her, "of course that's not '_it_', there's a lot more to it than _just_ that. But that's it basically. You're this special soul thingy that'll help in the end. But aside from that I don't know what you'll do. You're not even supposed to be a mage or anything."

"A mage? You mean.. like a wizard or a witch or something?"

"No a mage is supposed to be different. Different kind of magic or something. But yeah, a mage. There's going to be a lot of magic being thrown around by the end of all this."

"There's no such thing as magic, it's just magician's tricks. Or something you find in a stupid kids game." Like really, no one but little kids believed in magic.

"That's not true. There is such a thing as magic. And it's not just those stupid tricks magicians do. Magic's an art and it's been around a lot long than most everything else."

"Oh yeah right."

"I'm telling the truth. But fine, if you don't want to believe me you don't have to. But I'll be proved right soon enough, just you wait and see. There's magic everywhere. It's mostly really old now, there's not much new stuff anymore. But it's there and it's just waiting for something to do."

She snorted and turned away from the morph, not the least bit convinced. 'Great, I've been captured by a bunch of wackos who think I'm some one special and who's going to stop this stupid invasion of monster things,' was the main thought through her mind.

There was a movement behind her and she glanced back again.

"You ok 'Bur?" the black morph was looking worriedly at the giant where he lay against the pillar, he'd gone a funny shade of grey.

"Ye-es. Ju-ss-t Tie-rd." The giant opened one eye and looked straight at the morph before his gaze wondered to the other end of the room, right to the alter then to the morph again before closing. The morph shuffled in his position so he was closer to the giant and mumbled in a hushed voice, "Yeah, I don't like the feel of that thing either. Something bad's happened here and it's still heavy in the air, even after all this time... I don't like this place... " He paused and tried to lighten the mood, "I'm going to end up with premature wrinkles from all this worrying you know. It's rather annoying," the morph half heartedly laughed as he glanced to the alter himself before attempting to make himself comfortable enough to sleep.

It took him a couple of tries. He wasn't comfortable facing the alter, it seemed to creep him out. But then whenever he turned his back on the thing he got a prickling up his spine and he was continually looking over his shoulder. He put his back to the giant and then found himself continually glancing behind him to make sure he was ok. Finally he decided on his side facing the giant so he could see both him and the alter at the same time.

That short conversation and she was feeling uncomfortable as she turned and tried to settle herself down to sleep. She had all the mind to run away, but there was no where to go and she didn't trust this place. She didn't know how big it was and there was no guarantee those passageways even went anywhere but to dead ends or giant black pits. She'd have to wait for daylight at the very least so she could see where she was going. But as well as that, what the morph had said kept tumbling over in her mind. Was magic really real? Was she really special and that's why these people had grabbed her? What on earth was wrong with that alter thing at the other end of the room? The last one was the worst. She found herself continually opening her eyes to stare at it, not that she believed she'd see anything different, but.. She sighed and eventually found herself asleep. The other three members of their party temporarily forgotten along with most everything else.

The next few hours were uneventful. Mostly taken up by sleep as one figure or another kept watch over the rest.

She was one of the first to awaken. Stiff and sore as she stretched after getting up, she finally got to have a good look around at what'd been digging into her side and/or back all night as she'd tried to sleep.

"Now how the hell did I not notice that was there before." She glared at a large spiralling rock that seemed to have a general shape moulded into it. Arms, legs, a head. Nothing very distinct though. Finally deciding the thing wasn't really worth her time she turned her attention to looking around again. It was still dark, but getting lighter as the minutes passed, the sun was rising and through the various holes in the roof light was seeping in and giving a large portion of the place an eerie glow. Everything was coming out in shades of white-greys and various greens. Rather pretty actually as it gradually got brighter.

It took her a while to notice that anyone else was awake as she walked around. It was only when she'd been looking at the alter thing for ten minutes or so that a voice spoke up, startling her and making her stumble backwards a short distance.

"Watch it. We don't need you falling and breaking anything Miss."

She turned around to see the army guy looking at her. "Well you shouldn't of surprised me like that.." she mumbled as she went about dusting herself off. "I'm sorry if I startled you." He paused for a moment before walking up to her and offering a hand, "I'm Benjammin White. Or as you'll probably hear the rest of them call me, BJ." She raised a brow as she looked at him before taking the hand and giving it a slight shake reluctantly. He seemed ok, "Clarissa.." "Well it's good to meet you Clarissa."

He suddenly looked around her at the alter, "May I ask what it was you were looking at?" "Oh nothing. Just trying to see what the big deal was.." He looked at her questioningly but she didn't comment anymore, instead she turned around and looked over the rest of the room from the pedestal they were upon that the alter rested on.

"This place is kinda nice isn't it. The mottled stone and all the patches of bright greens.. Not as creepy looking like it was last night."

"It's still not ideal. We don't know what this place is, what it's for.. how big it is or even where it is."

She shrugged and continued to stand there, watching as more and more parts of the place were illuminated with the penetrating light of the dawn sun. It was pretty to look at. Like those old ruins you found on postcards for holiday places or in documentaries where they only filmed the best parts of the place.

Without noticing he'd walked up to her and just past, looking at the alter himself. "David would probably like to have a look at these.."

"Hmn?" She turned around to see what he was looking at and noticed for the first time the amount of detail in the designs on the alter, now that it was so bright. "Wow.. What are those? They look like pictures, or scenes for something.." She walked up closer, next to the guy, reaching over to trace over some of the patterns with her finger tips. There wasn't an answer, instead he was gone and she was left alone to look at the pretty pictures and patterns, wondering what they were all about and who'd put them there.

It was bright daylight before she was interrupted from what she was doing.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU WAKE ME EARLIER!"

"I be-"

"I COULD OF STARTED AT THE BREAK OF DAWN! DO YOU REALISE-"

"-I-"

"-NO! OF COURSE NOT! SOMEONE LIKE YOU COULDN'T POSSIBLY UNDERSTAND!"

"What do you me-"

And it went on like that for a while longer, gradually becoming louder as it came closer to her at the alter. Finally she turned around to face them. The army guy was being yelled at by the beyond angry nerd and his computer, then the black morph was following them both a couple of feet behind. Looking past them she spied the last two members. Over near the rubble the giant was getting up, his eyes on the procession. The lady was leaning on a pillar in the opposite corner, switching between watching the entrances, including the large holes in the roof and then the two arguing figures. She seemed more than a little amused, a smirk quite obvious on her face.

Eventually they stopped in front of her, quieter now as the nerd seemed to of lost a lot of his gas. He glared at her before turning the glare to the army guy, "You showed -her- before you showed me?"

"No. She was here first."

"Hmpf," and he shoved past her, resting his computer on a large flat stone right next to the alter and proceeding to ignore everything around himself aside from it and the alter itself.

She glared at him for a while before she realised he wasn't noticing in the least and gave up, turning around and just about crashing into the black morph who had moved closer.

"Hey!"

"Oh.. Sorry."

She blinked at him in surprise as she stood back and dusted herself off. She was going to yell at him, but the unexpected response threw her off. "That's ok."

He didn't hear her. He was mumbling something under his breath, eyes darting this way and that as he shifted his weight from leg to leg. It was more than a little obvious he was uncomfortable. The way his body moved each time his eyes came to the surrounding area of the alter showed why clearly enough.

She looked him up and down then waved a hand in front of his face to gain his attention, "I don't get what you're so uppity about. This place is nice enough and there's nothing here."

"I still don't like this place.. There's something wrong about it.." He looked straight at her and she kept his gaze until he turned away and looked up above them, to the holes in the ceiling that were letting the light in. "Haven't you noticed how quiet it is? We're obviously close to the world but there's no sounds of life from out there and then there's also nothing in here. When you usually find these sorts of places they're crawling with different wilds." She frowned, pausing as she tried to think. Yes it had been quiet, even as the dawn came and went she didn't hear a single bird call or sound of life. There'd been the wind blowing and the rocks bouncing off things as she moved around, but aside from that there'd been no other sounds. Nothing living at least. She couldn't believe she hadn't noticed it before now. She stayed quiet, thinking silently to herself as the morph continued to look around warily, stopping every now and then on the nerd and the alter he was studying.

The army guy had already walked away and was with the other two who were standing together near the rubble, talking and pointing at different things for a while before they split up. Each went a different way, the army guy down one of the side passages, the woman down another and the giant staying near the rubble and beginning an attempt to create a way through it to the above world.

The silence, broken only by the occasional tumble of a rock as it fell from it's perch or the mutterings of the nerd or inconsistent mumbles of the morph, wasn't all that comfortable. She had nothing to do, she was stuck with two people who'd most likely prefer not to have her there and definitely weren't up for conversation, plus she was bored. That wasn't the worst of it though. She wasn't hot or cold, but the air was stuffy, despite all the obvious ways for currents to flow about it and through, it was dead still. Then was the fact she felt dirty all over from sleeping on the ground among rocks all night and she wouldn't say she'd got a good nights sleep. Last was the gaining desire for food. She couldn't remember when she'd last eaten something and her stomach was making all the effort it could to be noticed and fed. When she'd been at home she'd been living on small amounts of food over the days, snacks and the like. She hadn't had a proper meal for the last couple of weeks. But she'd gotten used to that and it wasn't such a big deal. She hadn't exactly been doing much anyway. But now there was nothing and had been nothing for a couple of days. She was hungry.

There was nothing she could do but deal with it though along with everything else. So she did.

Just when she thought the boredom had grown so bad that she'd actually resort to making conversation with one of the others there was a loud cry and other two who had gone disappearing down the tunnels suddenly appeared again.

"We found a way out! Come on, we should get going now, before the sun's up too high. We need as much of the light as possible."

"Thank you," the first audible words the morph had said other than his mumblings.

"NO! Not yet! I'm not done yet!"

She looked behind her at the nerd, he was on his feet after having been kneeling down near the base of the alter. "I'm not going yet! This place has never been seen before! It's not on my records! It' a new discovery! It needs to be recorded and analysed and and..! And I have a right to do my work! I MUST stay and study it more!"

Before she'd even realised it the morph was past her and had grabbed up the nerd's stuff and nerd himself by his collar and was dragging him away from the alter as he shouted, kicked and punched in protest. The morph seemed completely oblivious to it, either that or he was doing a very good job of ignoring it, using all his effort to drag the junior scientist away from his work as he in turn used all his effort to stay.

There was a faint hiss, barely audible, "Shut up. Just because -you- don't realise what this place is. What's here and what it means.. That you don't notice the vibe this entire place is giving, especially that alter thing.. It doesn't mean that no one else does.. We're leaving and if you continue as you're going you are going to lose all ability to study anything in the not too distant future.." and the nerd was shut up, stopping his struggle. Instead he pulled himself roughly away from the morph, who seeing he was no longer fighting let go, and straightened himself up with an air of haughtiness about him. That done he stalked over towards the rest of the gathered group, muttering unintelligebles under his breath as he kept his eyes very firmly focused forwards.

The morph shrugged his shoulders and glanced back at her, he looked different for a moment, but it passed quickly and once again he looked like the whiney annoying black morph she'd seen before. He turned away again and she just followed after him, thinking to herself again.

"It's not too far, it shouldn't take long for us to get out of here. It's also completely clear, there's no rubble or anything so the way should be easy enough."

"There's light as well.. So no reason to be scared of the dark.." the lady was sneering at the morph who just poked his tongue out at her in response. She grinned.

The army guy ignored the banter between the two and went on for a few more minutes about different precautions but she zoned out and was only brought back to attention when her name had been repeatedly said then fingers clicked in front of her face. "Wha- what?"

"About time..."

"I was just saying that it'd be best if you stayed near 'Bur and Sue once we leave as we don't know what's out there. Ok?"

She nodded and they were off.

They'd been right. It was easy going and it was very bright. Every so and so lengths there'd be one source or another of light, usually through small holes in the roof, but as they went along gradually more openings appeared in one of the walls, looking very much like windows and those let in more than enough light. As they went past she started to notice the amount of designs and carvings in the walls and structure of the corridor thing they were going down, it was mind blowing. She couldn't believe anyone'd actually bothered to spend the time and carve all these things out of the solid stone. It seemed to be catching the eye of the nerd as well as he kept stopping and starting. Starting due to the fact the black morph wasn't close behind him and all he had to do was step closer to the nerd and he started moving again. The army guy watched the two of them carefully.

The woman was just in front of her and she didn't seem to be watching anything but the growing light ahead of them. Behind her was the giant who worked very well as a living wall that kept her going forwards. Not that she really wished to stay anyway, but it did stop her from attempting to stop and look carefully and any of the pictures, designs or carvings in particular.

It wasn't long until the passage they were in broadened out into another large room. Not as big as the previous but big enough. The roof was held by pillars along two of the walls and just ahead of them was a huge entrance to the outside world, which was bathed in a curtain of gold as the sun seemed to be in just the right position to block out much anything else. On the walls either side of the entrance way were near full length windows, the only reason they weren't other doorways were for the fact they were a few feet from the ground and looking out of one of them there seemed to be a very steep drop on the other side.

"Ok, everyone be on the look out for anything strange now. We don't want anything jumping us. The slightest sign of trouble and you say."

Everyone nodded and they were going forwards again, out of the bright corridor and into the even brighter entrance hall and straight towards what they hoped was the exit. Everyone was also on high alert, pausing at the slightest sound.

Until the black morph took fright at something suddenly and bolted right on out the exit. The army guy shouted after him, but as that did nothing he looked back once and went after, everyone else running within moments to catch up to the frightened morph.

"Wait up Sur!"

"Sulpher SLOW DOWN!"

But he had stopped, and both the army guy, nerd and woman had to put on the brakes hard to keep from running right over the morph where he'd stopped dead in the middle of the path.

What had made him stop so suddenly wasn't obvious until he turned around, a single long black ear twitching, the gold ring around it shimmering as his eyes moved back and over where they'd all just come out of.. His mouth dropped open, making an O shape for a while before he was able to make the words he wanted..

"Oh my.."

"Well that wasn't exactly what I was expecting.."

"Where on earth did all that come from?"

"I thought you said this place hadn't been discovered. How on earth do you not discover something that bloody big David?"

Half the group were looking at the nerd while the other half were still staring dumbfounded at the structure behind them. It was HUGE. And by huge, it wasn't just big huge it was monstrous. It could more than easily enough of fit a castle and it's courts and the towns and all the townspeople very comfortably inside it. An entire city sprawl built into the side of a mountain, of which they were standing on one of many bridges that led to other entrances into the structure. All stone and greenery mixed together with obvious signs of a past civilisation of some kind made it all look somewhat creepy.

"I still don't like this place..." The black morph was mumbling again, looking about before stopping as he spotted something just ahead of where they wished to go. Having had her fill of what was behind them she'd turned to see ahead and was now staring at the same thing the morph was. Two large columns jutting out of the earth to a couple dozen feet into the air either side of the end of the bridge. A white-grey marbled stone with a small forms carved into the top of each of them that weren't completely distinguishable yet as the bridge was a good two hundred meters or more long.

Slowly they had all stopped staring at the place they'd just come out of then gone through a heated argument over how on earth something that big had never been seen before. Now they were slowly moving down the length of the bridge to it's end where it met the ground again, each of them glancing back every now and then the way they'd come from.

"Why are we on a bridge? Why didn't they just make steps in the mountain up to the entrances.. or why didn't they just make the entrances closer to the ground?"

A snort. "How should we know, you're supposed to be the scientist."

The nerd was continuing to ramble on about different things but she didn't pay attention. Archaeology wasn't really her thing, instead she was watching the morph and the giant, the last of which had somehow managed to get himself a good distance ahead of the others and had his eyes on the two columns.

She stopped suddenly, and had the woman walk right into her as she'd only been a few steps behind. "Hey, watch your step!"

"Sorry.."

"What'd you stop for anyway?" The woman stood up beside her and tried to see what she was looking at. "What are you staring at girl?"

She pointed to the tops of the columns, "Did those things on top turn around?"

"Don't be silly, how could statues turn around. They're just stone," the nerd butted in. "Really-"

"-She might be right."

"Excuse me?"

"They don't look the same."

"You're seeing things Sue, I've told you you needed your eyes checked before."

"Shut up David, my eye sight is better than yours."

"Hmpf."

The conversation ended there and they kept walking, catching up to the morph and giant who had stopped just past the end of the bridge.

"You took your time. Where we going now?" The morph muttered at them all before leaving his gaze on the army guy.

"We need to find out where it is we are first before we can decide on where to go. David can you use that computer of yours to tell us where we are, or do you still have the interference?" The nerd shrugged his shoulders and pulled out his computer, "No, there shouldn't be any trouble now that we're above ground. Something in those rocks that they built that place with was interfering with the satellite tracking abilities."

Again the conversation turned into something she had no interest in, at least not after the first few initial minutes where she realised she had no clue what they were saying or the places they were mentioning. Instead her attention went back to the giant and morph, mostly the giant as he was standing there stock still with his head turned to upwards to look at the tops of the columns not far from them. She let her own gaze follow suit and jumped a little in surprise to find two small faces looking down at her and the others where they stood. "Now I'm certain those things have moved, they weren't doing that before unless there's more than one face to those things.." The giant slowly turned his head and faced her, "Ye-ss. Moo-v-ed.." and then he was staring at the things again. She shuddered as she turned her own gaze up again and saw the things still staring down at her, one from atop each column.

"Oh great.. So we're nowhere near ANYONE? At all? Not even a secret military or hideout sort of place or even for some sort of organised crime? NOTHING? Nothing at all for MILES AND MILES? You're saying we're going to have to WALK for days before we get to anywhere? And what do you think is the likeliness we'll even SURVIVE that long with no weapons or anything? We're all gonna die.. I knew it, I told ya all before we're gonna die and it's all your fault.." The morph really knew how to ramble on and the defeatist attitude was wonderfully encouraging she thought as she looked at the small group around the nerd and his computer.

"It's not that bad Sulphur. You're supposed to know attacks aren't you? You're a morph after all, you do have the dark- "-Shadow-" "Fine, shadow abilities don't you? And BJ has a couple of things we could probably use as a last resort.. And it's not like anything can harm 'Bur." "Oh that's encouraging, we all become little bloody blobs of goo and 'Bur's still standing there just watchin it happen as he doesn't get hurt at all. No offence buddy." The giant didn't respond though, his eyes were locked on the things above them. The rest of them finally realising that he'd been in that position for a while let their own eyes wander up the columns to see what he was looking at. "What are you doing 'Bur..."

"Wha-tchin-ng the-m.."

"What for? They're just hunks of rock, they can't do anything..," the nerd said rather hautily. "It's not like they're even real."

There was a rumble from the giant but the nerd just shook his head and looked down again, looking at his computer screen once more. The rest of them quickly followed suit, leaving the giant staring at the statues while the rest of them started to organise themselves on what they were going to do next. Number one was to travel as far as they possibly could while there was still light and then find a good spot to make camp, well protected and easy to guard, that sort of thing. She could see the logic in that and so didn't have any problems, she just did as she was told, no thoughts of trying anything else entering her mind as she knew it'd just be plain stupid.

They were all leaving and had gone at least fifty meters before the nerd suddenly shouted and started running back to the bridge. "One moment! I need to leave a marker so I can get back here again to study this place!"

He didn't get very far. The giant who had been at the back of them all as he'd still been looking back to the statues every other step reached out and a hand and grabbed him roughly around the waist, lifting him up to eye level. "Nooo.."

"What do you_ mean_ no? Put me down you stupid pile of jumbled rocks!"

"Nooo.."

"PUT ME DOWN YOU USELESS HUNK OF ROCK!" and he was thrashing and kicking at the giant, with the only result being himself becoming more enraged as he made little or no damage to the giant.

"'Bur put David down before he hurts himself." The giant looked at the army guy and frowned before doing as he was told, placing the nerd lightly on the ground, though if you believed the account the nerd gave later it was extremely rough and unmannered of the giant. Well, he said that anyway in general about the giant. But now with himself free he straightened up and started stalking off back towards the bridge to finish what he had started.

Again he was stopped but this time only by the giant putting one of his hands in the way of the nerd. "Nooo.."

"Get out of my way 'Bur." It was more than obviously a threatening voice but the giant made no effort to make it easier for the nerd, instead he stood bodily in front of him instead. "Nooo Day-vi-d." And they stood there looking at each other, the nerd glaring and the giant looking for the most part indifferent and then the rest very much resolved.

"Will you two lunk heads hurry up, we need to get going and we don't need this." The woman was growing impatient and was not in the mood for this.

"Oh, FINE! But if I never find this place again I'll be blaming you 'Bur." The nerd gave him one last icy glare before turning his back on the giant and stalking back after the rest of them, mumbling unintelligebles under his breath. The giant seeing he wasn't about to try anything gave one last glance back to the two columns and the figures atop them before lumbering after the lot of them as they all started walking again.

They'd all just entered into the forest, past the small clearing that the bridge ended onto when suddenly the nerd spun around and raced back to where the bridge was, making sure to make a wide berth around the giant so as not to be grabbed. "David! No! Not Now!" She had to admit she was very surprised at how fast the nerd could run, he was very quick on his feet.

The giant took a moment before he realised what had happened and had only just gotten half way across the clearing by the time the nerd had reached the columns and was placing a small metal device into the stone, chipping it away a little so the thing would stay in place. As he started doing that there was a loud bellow that made the ground shiver, the giant was yelling at the nerd and all of them were about on the ground as the trees and everything else shook. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"'BUR SHUT UP!"

"BE QUIET 'BUR!"

"'BUR!"

It was too late though, the nerd swung around from the column to gloat at the giant, a look of utter triumph on his face that quickly changed to worry as he saw the looks on everyone else's faces. He was slammed hard and sent flying across the clearing to just past where the giant had gotten to. He was lucky, if it'd been just a few more inches to the left he would of actually hit the giant and become a human pancake.

"I knew those things were moving."

"I told you there was something wrong with this place, I did.."

Both herself and the morph said at the same time as they watched the stone creature slowly unwrap itself from around the column, spread it's wings and alight into the air between the two columns. The second one was only just now scrambling it's way down the length of the column, moving down it length as it were a spiral staircase, long stone talons gripping into the column with each step to keep it's grip. It was moments and they had two very much living stone statues in front of them, wings flared in the air and tails swinging just off the ground as red glowing eyes stayed trained on them all.

"This is not encouraging.."

"I knew it, I knew it, I knew it, I knew it.."

"They look like badly carved versions of the Demons Sir."

That got everyone who was nearby's attention and they looked back at the woman before back out to the clearing with it's four occupants.

"We really should get David and 'Bur out of there." Which would of been a good idea and was, there was only the small problem of the two living statues that were on the attack now. Both were hovering, just out of the giant's range and waiting for an opening to attack the nerd again, the giant was covering the much smaller human after realising the situation and rushing to shield him. It was a stale mate. The things seemed more than happy enough to wait, flitting just out of range of any swipes the giant risked to take at them and the giant wasn't about to move himself as he wasn't about to risk picking up the nerd and leave him open for attack.

"If we go out there do you think they'll attack us?"

"Only one way to find out, we've gotto help those two."

"But we don't even-"

"Sulphur you're our best shot for a distraction. Do it, Now."

"Yes Sir," and he was up and running low to the ground, his hands clasped together at his lap as he concentrated. He didn't even stop his speed after he'd stood up straight and brought his hands free of his lap, hands encircled by an inky black smoky substance as he'd nearly reached the two figures in the clearing. Moving his right arm as if throwing a ball, he sent a condensed sphere of the black smoke right at the closest of the two flying statues. It hit right on target and he didn't wait to see the result, instead eyeing off the second one and throwing another ball, this time from his left hand at the creature. It missed but seeing that he threw a third and a fourth quickly one after the other at the creature until he was sure he'd hit it. "'Bur get up and take David to the forest, we can cover bett-" and he was slammed from behind. The black morph didn't stop flying until he'd hit one of the columns at the end of the clearing, sliding down it and landing in a heap at the bottom. The statues hadn't taken much damage at the attacks, they didn't even look like they'd taken any aside from the fact they now had a black sheen to them.

"Bur, get off the ground and just bring him here! It's better here than there. At least we can defend our sides."

The giant glanced up and shook his head.

"'BUR DO IT NOW!"

The giant frowned and glaring at the two statues one who had resumed flying around his head and the other that was now clinging to the side of the column just above the black morph, collected up the nerd as best he could in his arms and started his attempt to get to the rest of them. He had difficulty for more than one reason, it was hard for him to keep the nerd in his arms in a position that left him unexposed to the statue and every opportunity the thing got it was diving at the nerd, claws outstretched to rake across his flesh. The thing got in more than a couple of hits but then so did the giant, the problem was that the statue's hits did damage while aside from sending a cloud of dust into the air as rock hit rock the giant was doing nothing to the other. It was not encouraging and they could all see that this wasn't going to work, the giant hadn't even reached halfway back and the nerd was bleeding from five spots profusely, a couple more cuts like those and he'd bleed to death before they could do anything. The one thing that was good was that the moment the nerd had seen his own blood he'd fainted, making it easier for the giant to carry him.

"Come on Sue, we've got to help them. You still got any of those mini's we got during the fight before?" She shook her head and the army guy reached into one of his pants pockets and drew out three small black discs. "Go." And they were both gone, leaving her alone among the trees as she watched the army guy and woman dash out into the clearing towards the giant who had stoopped to defend himself as the living statue had decided maybe it was better if it attacked the bigger thing first to get at the smaller.

"Get away from them!"

There was a small explosion and the statue was thrown backwards into the air a good distance, leaving a small trail of dust and smoke. Now there were four figures in the clearing and three of them were attempting to keep the statues away, as now, seeing that it's brother stone figure had been blown away the other had come up and started swooping at them all, talons and claws outstretched ready to grab and rip anything they could. The thing had already managed to get at each of them at least twice before the second one appeared in the air beside it again, looking no different than it had before it was blasted away, aside from a large black scorch mark along it's front.

"What the hell are these things? Don't they GET hurt?"

Two more explosions and the last of the three black things had been used, but to a good result, both the statues had been blown backwards a good couple of hundred feet and the four figures were making a dash back to the trees. "Move it! They'll be back in a moment!" Of course he spoke too soon and they were back already, one of the two slamming right into the back of the giant and sending him flying forwards and to the left of them. Lucky for the nerd he'd already been placed in the arms of the two other humans and was now being dragged bodily as fast as they could manage away to where she was hiding among the trees. "Come on, hurry, hurry! They wont be distracted long!" And they weren't, though one went after the fallen giant the other came straight after them again. It was just about on top of them when it went flying to the left, a trail of inky black smoke left in it's wake.

"You were just going to leave me, how rude."

"Sulphur, help us here."

"What? With that thing! I'd rather roll in dirt!"

"SULPHUR!"

"Yes yes. See, I'm doing it already. Yeesh," and he was, he'd grabbed the nerd under one arm and was pulling him twice as fast towards her as the others had done, it was seconds and they had all reached her but the giant. Right at that moment the giant was being pummelled by the second statue.

The giant who was used to being able to deflect hits like they were nothing and then strike out with enough force it'd usually knock out the opponent with the first shot was not faring well. For being 'just' statues the things packed a hard punch, the thing was pummelling him like he were little more than well, a normal human instead of a being made of stone. The thing was little bigger than his head not including wings and tail but it was fast, very very fast for something that logically shouldn't of been able to even fly in the first place due to how much it must of weighed. It's talons on the ends of it's limbs and the bat like claws on it's wings were scouring over the giant's rock skin like it was nothing more than soft clay and despite how much he was fighting back he didn't seem to be able to do more than send clouds of dust into the air or send the creature sprawling backwards through the air a short distance if he managed to land a hit fully to it. And neither of those were very often. If the creature didn't see an opening it flew just out of his reach, taunting as it flitted this way and that with surprising grace, just waiting for the right opening or angle to dart in and attack again.

"Sulphur get back out there and help 'Bur, you're the only one who can do anything, we're out of weapons."

"Oh that's great.." He got a look from the army guy then shook his head and was out there again within moments. His eyes illuminated with red light as his hands took on the smoky substance around them again. His attention was completely on the statue thing attacking the giant.

"Where's the second one gone..?"

The answer; waiting right behind the black morph as he reappeared into the clearing. Before he could be warned or even had a real chance to see it the thing was barrelling through the air straight at his back. SLAM! He went flying again, but this time he saved himself. Instead of just letting himself fly right into the ground he somehow managed to flip himself over in the air, landing on his feet and leaning heavily forwards so that when his feet dug into the earth he was forced to run forwards to save his balance. This saved him, as if he'd continued backwards as he was supposed to he would of been unable to defend himself against the next oncoming attack. The statue was flying at him again but this time he was ready and he sent both fists forwards, throwing all the shadows he'd gathered at the thing just before they were about to collide. The pure force of momentum on the air from the oncoming creature still sent him backwards a short distance but it was nothing compared to the blasting the thing got. It went flying backwards a good couple of hundred meters aimed straight through the trees at the edge of the forest, it hit them and kept going, bending and snapping each tree's trunk it came into contact with like kindling. The black morph didn't wait to see what it'd do next, he took his chance to go help the giant.

The giant wasn't exactly tiring, but he was losing ground and his faith in his ability against the creature. Everything he did seemed to make no difference against it aside from maybe to delay it's attack for a moment or two before it came back just as hard as ever. He'd never fought against something that was physically stronger than him in his entire life, especially something so much stronger as the thing he was fighting now. It was somewhat disheartening to find something better at what he'd always prided himself best at.

"Coming 'Bur buddy!"

And there was the black morph, sending another blast at the statue creature, not nearly as strong as the last one as his own strength was beginning to wane, but enough to detour it for the moments needed for him to reach the giant and start coaxing him back to the tree line. "Come on 'Bur, before they both start on us."

They'd gotten half the distance back when the two living statues appeared at once in the air above them, the giant closer to the trees than the black morph. "Ah crap, I thought we'd make it at least a lil further. Keep moving 'Bur, we're nearly there, I'll keep them back." The giant would of slowed down or stopped to help defend them both if it weren't for the fact the black morph was so insistent he keep moving, and the reassuring sounds of the things being blown away by the black morph's attacks that kept coming each time one of the things swooped. "See buddy, we're nearly there, not much longer, just a couple more meters." He was right and they were. Three more steps and the giant was in among the trees again. The black morph had two more himself when he was suddenly pulled backwards by his tail.

"OOWWWIE! LEGGO LEGGO LEGGO LEGGO! I DECLARE UNFAIR! UNJUST! LEGGOOO!"

The giant was just about to swing around and go back out there to defend his friend when all went silent. The black morph had stopped moving, he was standing dead still and the statue that had grabbed his tail a moment ago was flying around above him once again with it's brother statue. They both seemed somewhat anxious in their movements as they continually flitted around irratically compared to how they'd been moving previous. The morph was standing still, his ears down and pointed loosely as with his tail at a slight angle to the ground. Both his hands were at his sides, just off from touching his body and his legs were slightly spread. His eyes were also closed and he was muttering something under his breath that didn't reach the rest of the group.

"Wha-what's going on.."

"Shut up David."

"Wha-?" A hand was clamped over the nerd's mouth to keep him from talking as they all watched the scene in front of them.

The morph had started to emit the same smoky material all over his body that had been specifically at his hands before. This time though it had a very distinctly silvery shimmer to it. The two statues circling above the morph had started moving slower and in wider circles of the morph. They could tell something was up and she was under the impression they knew more about what was going on than the rest of them. That was not overly encouraging.

The morph continued to stay rock still but for the movement of his mouth as he continued to speak the same words over and over again, gradually becoming louder. His eyes quickly took on a silvery black shimmer under his eyelids much like the stuff that was now swirling around in circles about his form as he continued.

"Eiiorn Eool Eeeon Eosol Eeovee Eeon..

Eeio Eeo Eeeor Evio...

Eeiiorn Eool Eeevol Eeeio Eeeio Eeeio Eion..."

And it repeated over and over, with the increasing volume the density of the smoke around the morph increased, becoming thicker and faster in it's movement until it had nearly completely hidden the morph.

"What's he doing..?"

Suddenly one of the statues broke away from it's brother statue, diving straight down at the swirling silvery blackness and what it had hidden beneath it.

Everything seemed to freeze in that moment it which it made contact with the smoky barrier. The statue was poised with it's wings spread out completely behind it, the claws from it's talons outstretched to scythe the shadows away and get at what was below them. It hung in the air, unnaturally frozen like everything else around them for the next few seconds before a wave of sound washed over them all.

It was a booming crash that sent all the greenery waving away from where the blast had come from, rocks, twigs, branches, leaves and anything else that hadn't been anchored down to the ground was blown away at high speeds as the sound went past.

"EIANA EEEIO EEION EEVAAIAE!"

They barely had any time to get their senses together when they were all blinded, a silver white light had exploded from within the silvery-black smoke around the morph and was engulfing the statue. Covering it completely and continuing to spread outwards past it like a giant spear of light into the heavens. The statue's brother shied away from the light and it's sibling, racing back to perch upon it's column, climbing the length of the column from where it first hooked on until it had reached it's perch. Then covering itself with it's large bat like designed wings it attempted to hide itself from any attack that might come it's way.

The light didn't last long and as it dissipated the smoky silver veil around the black morph went along with it. The living statue still hung in the air when the light had gone, but it gave the morph one look and did just as it's brother statue had, leaving the black morph alone in the middle of the clearing as he collapsed into a heap upon the ground.

"Now what the hell was all that?"

"Come on, we have to get him before those things change their mind and try to attack him again."

"How did he do that?"

"Questions later! Action now! Do it!"

The army guy, woman and giant were all up in moments, out in the clearing and scooping up the morph and returning again to the forest before she'd even gotten herself up and finished dusting off her clothes from all the dirt and leaves that had been blown over her and latched themselves on.

"He's ok isn't he?" she found herself inquiring, which surprised her.

"Yeah he'll be fine. Just seems whatever he did drained him. All he needs is some rest and a good meal."

"Yeah well, we could all do with that couldn't we?"

And as none of them wished to hang around any longer than they had already they were all moving away from the clearing and it's column perched occupants. The giant held the still unconscious black morph while the nerd was helped along by the army guy and woman who switched every half hour as they travelled.

* * *

A Year previously.

* * *

If anyone every tells you ARC units are no good, reckless, useless, untrustworthy, non-dependable or anything else along those lines sock 'em in the head for me. They are by far the best kind out there, EVER. Nothing can beat them. Except for maybe another ARC unit, but then, I've got the best one there is and ever will be, so I don't have to worry about that like other competitors.

Of course it's taken a long time and work to get him to the level he's at now, but it was all worth it. I doubt there's ever been anything else I've ever been so dedicated to in my life like my ARC unit, actually I could probably lay a billion dollar bet down on that. I've never cared about anything else like I do my Cybernetic. He's my prize possession and I don't have to prove why anymore. I used to, but it's not a big deal anymore. Everyone knows who I am in all the competing circles. There's no one with a Cybernetic that doesn't know my name. My reputation as a Cybernetic fighter proceeds me like nothing you'd ever believe. There's hardly been a person in history who could match my fame or reputation and I've got no complaints to the fact.

Some people complain. Saying that I'm only so good because I got a leg up at the beginning and that my best friend is the son of the head honcho of Cybernetics Inc so I get all the best stuff before everyone else. But that's not true. Not completely at least. I DID get a leg up at the beginning and Sean is my best friend, but that's where it stops now. Now I don't get any of the new improvements before anyone else, I make an effort not to do so. I like to see people's reactions as I beat the crap out of them with my ARC unit using last season's best gear while they use this one's. It's funny and it deflates them faster than a popped balloon.

Me and my ARC unit are an unstoppable team. He also listens to every word I say. He's completely loyal, I have no doubt in my mind that he'd do anything, absolutely anything I told him to do, even if he didn't see the reasoning behind it. You can't really ask for much more than in a battle companion. The thing is though, my ARC has a brain, and I don't mean those stupid computerised made for calculating ones that most Cybernetics have. My ARC unit has an intelligence beyond that, he has common sense and a sense of self I've never seen before in any other Cybernetic. It's completely amazing. I knew from the first moment I laid my eyes on my ARC unit that he was special, that there was something about him that made him better than anything else. That something special is the only reason I haven't attempted to get another since first getting him. There's just this feeling that it'd be like betraying him after all the work I put into making him perfect. No, as much as I love all ARC units my one is the one and only for me. I'll never get another as long as I live.

You know, when I say it was a lot of hard work putting my ARC unit together I mean it. It was nearly four months of tinkering around with all his circuitry before I even had him up and running properly in a normal condition. Until then he'd suddenly stop, shut down unexpectedly, have different parts go offline on their own, others come online when they weren't supposed to and then some personality or character traits that didn't work very well when he was active. Not that I really messed with those last things. It just took a while to get him to trust me and to understand what I was doing. That was kinda odd initially. Usually when you completely wipe a Cybernetic's harddrive like I did to my ARC they forget and lose everything like they're supposed to and become completely inanimate. My ARC didn't. He still seemed to have a personality of sorts that stayed with him even when his harddrive had nothing in it. Well, at least I like to think it was a personality. He'd just randomly twitch or move unexpectedly or there'd be a low growl emitted from his chest or voice box. It was different and totally unexpected. A grand new experience that I loved and made me love my ARC all the more. He was the best thing ever.

After that initial effort of just getting him online and working properly with what he'd originally come with, I then started with the uploads and upgrades and such to him. I had to be careful at first and take my time. I couldn't rush anything as he was only just getting used to using his general skills again and adding extra ones on top too fast was just going to overload his circuitry and I'd have to start all over again. I knew better than that. Doesn't mean I felt any less impatient, I just couldn't wait until I had everything up and going like I'd imagined it in my head.

The first fight I had with my ARC unit wasn't against Sean like I'd thought it'd be but against the new regional champ of Thistlegrove City from Johto when I started my tour there. It was up against a plant/bug element, a PAraST407-33. It was an easy match despite the PAraST's long range attack capabilities against my ARC's then limited close combat ones. It was a while yet before I got to really test out my ARC unit and then it wasn't even close. I totally thrashed the FeRAL8072 despite the element disadvantage.

The best match up I've had with my ARC unit is when I got to the World Championship Competition a couple of weeks ago. That was the most exhilarating and adrenaline pumping experience I ever had. My ARC unit was nearly trashed, but he pulled through and managed to pound the RaniTR007-91 unit twice as badly as it had pounded him. I really doubt they'd of been able to of recovered anything what so ever from the wreckage that was left behind of the RaniTR. Oh well, that's what you get from competing in the high stakes of the Champion level competitions. It doesn't really matter anyway. Everyone can get a replacement Cybernetic after their's is destroyed. Despite all the effort you do put into looking after a Cybernetic and getting it to the level of perfection needed to be a Champion battler you can always get another and they are, after all, just another piece of technology. And anyway, most people who compete in the Championships only use the latest and the greatest available Cybernetics and accessories so they'll have new ones the next year to compete with.

I used to be like that but I'm different now. I don't think I'll ever change Cybernetics now that I've got my ARC. Not for the most important battles and fights at least. Sometimes I use another, but not often and usually only cause I've been asked to for some reason or another and it benefits me in some way. But it's not the same and I don't get the same exhilaration like I do when I use my ARC unit. There's nothing anywhere like him out there. It's not the same using another.

I'm not going to say all the add-ons I've added to my ARC unit but that's only because any record of that is a danger to me and my ARC. I don't need that sort of information leaked out, people will learn how to counteract my attacks and well, you always need surprises in battle or it's no fun. Also I don't think I remember everything I've installed into my ARC unit anyway, there's so much of it, so I probably couldn't even if I wanted to.

You know, out of all the people I've battled with my ARC unit the most worrying one I've ever been in was the one I had the other day with Sean. He used a unit I'd never seen before and didn't know the name of (which in itself is a miracle as I thought I knew what EVERY unit was). To be honest it scared me, Sean scared me. He's changing or he's changed and I hadn't even noticed until recently. He was more brutal than I'd ever seen anyone be in all my Cybernetic battles and career. I never knew he could be like that. I always thought Sean was the nice kid who only battled because I did it and he wanted to play along. And despite how strongly he fought he was always somewhat remorseful afterwards and would never compete so his Cybernetic was purposefully damaged, or if it was, nothing he couldn't easily have repaired. That single fact that he never wanted his own units damaged or even the other's was the reason why he was so hard to fight against in a Cybernetic competition. He knew his unit so well with it's abilities and strengths and everything that he knew how to order it in a way that it'd inflict the maximum amount of damage on the opponent with the most minimal amount done to his in return in any given situation. He always fought hard so it was quick or as undamaging as possible when the match was over. His skill was in knowing where the weakest points of every other unit was and he was a killer in battle (not in the literal sense of course). If he'd ever bothered to go into the competitions he could of had as big a reputation as me if not better I have to admit.

Anyway. Sean scared me and he made me frightened for my ARC unit during that last match. I thought he was gonna do worse to my ARC than it'd been when he'd given it to me in the first place and THAT was scary. His unit was strong, smart and nimble. More so than my ARC in all the categories. The most stupid thing I did during that fight was underestimate him. I underestimated him more than I ever should of. I was confident and cocky though after my win at the World Championship so I didn't think anyone could possibly beat me. Especially not Sean with his dinky little thing that he'd managed to put together himself at some point. It wasn't even as big as my ARC's head and despite the fact it had wings I didn't think there was anything to worry about, I didn't expect it to be so bloody manoeuvrable and fast on them.

I don't want to go into details but that match was a bloodbath. One of the worst ones I'd ever seen and it was all my ARC's, he hardly made more than a scratch on Sean's unit. It was completely humiliating.

I don't know where Sean went after that match but I haven't seen him since that battle and I'm beginning to worry. Usually after a match we get together and talk about what happened but before my ARC unit had even completely shut down he was leaving, his unnamed unit disappearing after him. My attention was completely on my ARC so I hadn't realised he'd left until too late. When I went searching for him later he'd disappeared, no one could tell me where he'd gone. I started to worry but I had to get my ARC unit fixed first before I went looking for him.

It wasn't until a lil while ago that I even remembered or noticed that he hadn't come back or seen me since that match, I'd been completely preoccupied with fixing my totalled ARC unit.

Sean'll come back, I just know it. He's disappeared for short amounts of time before and he's always come back. I just hope I'll see him before I have to leave again. I don't get to see him often now-a-days and well.. I don't know.

He's fine, I'm sure.

He'll come back.

Jamie.

* * *

**Click.**

_Cybernetics™ apologises that it is required to recall the following listed Cybernetic™ units due to technical errors._

**Click.

* * *

**

Same Year.

* * *

The last one. At least he believes himself the last one. There may be one or two others still out there, but it's unlikely and he dare not call out for to them least They find him instead.

He glides slowly over the ocean floor, disturbing no more than the sand as this water's dead, it has no life left in it. Due to what he's not sure but it was most likely human related. It doesn't matter. It's his last resort, the last hiding place he could think of while he waits for the inevitable.

Why he even tries to continue to hide he's not sure, maybe there is a small bit of hope still left in his heart despite all, but he's not sure. He might just as well be too scared to confront them, preferring to hide as best he can and just wish them go away or they forget him. He's not certain and he doesn't care to think it over, so instead he watches the empty waters ahead and the sand as it swirls behind him after each heave of his wings sends him further forwards.

He knows who they are and what they want, even what they're doing it for. But he wishes he didn't. He thinks maybe he could of accepted his fate if it hadn't been for the reason behind it. He tries to question it, to find answers, but there's no longer any others to ask and for as many no's that appear in his mind there's just as many yes's. He wishes with all his heart that why they are doing this was wrong. But then, if that were true.. All the waste, all those lives lost for no reason other than madness. Not that this isn't madness itself, but a madness that had no base.. He also believes in his heart that if it weren't really true, the reason why they had become hunted and now near extinct then something would of saved them all, that something out there would of stopped this happening. Maybe even the God that was the reason behind all this? The God who had betrayed them all.

He sighs and takes pause in the oceans deep before swinging his head around and taking off in another direction.

He, his brothers, his sisters.. His mother and father.. All the descendants before them. How could they not be true? Not as real as any other being upon this earth?

It was true that there were stories, stories that told of the first who weren't always what they were. But those were stories, stories of creation that all species had. They were nothing but stories! How could they really be true!

He cried. He cried for all the loss he had suffered, all the heartache and grief that had come with the coming of The One. The One that had started it all.

If it hadn't of been for that One, for that One that had come and stolen their God away. Captured and imprisoned Him, poisoned His mind against all His kin. Twisting His body and being into something nasty and cruel. Making Him want it all back. ALL OF IT!

The water steamed, bubbled and jumped as he flew through it, trying to move away before he came into contact with it. The water could feel his anger, his hatred flowing through itself, bringing the dead ocean into frenzied life.

What kind of being was his God then if this was His true self? The true being that The One said it was? Who was the God he'd known his whole existence then? Where had He come from? What had happened to change Him so?

Why couldn't He return to what He once was?

The surface was becoming choppy, small waves started to grow, drifting this way and that, crashing into each other and growing into large waves. He was bringing the ocean to life without realising it.

If he and his kin were nothing more than ghosts, shadows of his God, why was it that his God needed them destroyed then? Why must He wipe them all out? What reasoning did He have behind it all! What did He want so badly that nothing else mattered? Not even His own!

WHY NOW?

The clouds gathering above were becoming darker, floating closer together and mingling, growing into larger beings.

If He had been so determined why was it that He was not doing this Himself then? Why was it He was using others, why didn't He face what He was really doing?

A crash in the skies above as the first strike of lightning slashed the air. Another bang and a crash and the rain started, belting the choppy ocean's surface, swirling it up into a maelstrom. His anger was growing.

All this waste. All this death and it was not their fault. It was no more their choice as to who they were than it was anyone else's. Because of what his and his kin's ancestors had done, they were ALL being punished. Punished for being the image of their God. Wiped from the earth's surface and oceans. Hunted and killed as if they were nothing more than sport. An activity to pass the time that mattered very little.

How could HE?

He exploded out the ocean and into the raging storm, aglow with anger as he thrashed about, roaring to the heavens and the earth, screaming his fury and hatred for all that had happened to his family and his kin. The injustice of it all. That he could do nothing to change it, that he could make no difference now that he was the last of his kind, that after all this time that, that..

He roared and he fought, he fought the ocean and the rain, the storm he'd created, the world around him and last his fate. He fought as hard as he could, becoming more angry and frustrated, infuriated to an unknown level. But the more he became angry, the more he threw his head back and screamed.. it made no difference. The storm only became stronger, the waves more dangerous as they grew and grew, mirroring everything he felt. He could not fight himself. He could not fight his fate, he knew that in his heart. It was inevitable.

He could only hope that one day, one day that his God would realise what He'd done and would realise His mistake. That one day his kin would fly the oceans like they once had, with glory and honour. With no fear.

The last was found.

His outburst of rage the last needed sign to find him.

There were no longer any kin left to the Moon God.

* * *

It was not hard to find them all.

Simple really.

Destroying them was no harder.

The technology was all I needed.

* * *

And that'd be chapter2.

Weee... I actually did it in less than a week skips around in circles

Comments n such n such! wavies

BYE!


	3. Discoveries and Rediscovering

Chapter 3.

* * *

Discoveries and Rediscovering

* * *

_**Click.**_

_Cybernetics™ reminds you that there are rules and regulations specified with owning and operating a Cybernetic™._

_**Click.

* * *

**_

The travelling was dull, beyond dull really, absolutely nothing happened as they walked and walked and walked. The only thing that changed as they kept moving was the place the sun sat up in the sky and who was helping the nerd as they went. The black morph continued to be unconscious as he was carried in the giant's arms.

She was dead bored. There wasn't any conversation or anything, everyone was in their own little worlds as they kept on marching. She could kind of understand that, this terrain was not friendly, they were all continually bashing branches and vines out of their way as they tried to get through, the ground was also exceedingly unstable, so much so that half the time feet slipped on loose rocks or fell straight into hidden ditches covered by thin layers of leaf litter. It was not an enjoyable experience in the least and it was taking forever. One thing she really would of liked to of known was where exactly they thought they were all going, she didn't have the faintest idea. The land and terrain was nothing like where she lived, it was all jungley, of which the closest she got to that at home was well, on tv. At least that said one thing, she wasn't anywhere near home. That wasn't encouraging.

At least nothing had jumped out at them, for that matter they hadn't heard the slightest peep out of anything. Aside from the noises of the non-existent wind and the ones they made as they trampled and shoved things it was quiet, not a thing stirred through all that thick greenery. It was odd and spine tingly, it also made everyone jumpy at the slightest sound which was annoying as everyone would suddenly drop to the ground for no good reason thinking something was about to get them. Actually, that wasn't that bad, after the first couple of hours it pretty much stopped as they figured there was nothing that was going to jump them. It was a bit late now though seeing she was covered in dirt and twigs and well, everything else you find in jungle forest places from all the time she'd been shoved to the ground by a surprised member of the group. She was dirty and sweaty and had absolutely no doubt she stank, but everyone else aside from the giant was fairly much the same so no one really paid that much attention. She was also getting tired, not that she hadn't been tired after the first couple of hours, but now it was getting worse and her legs were aching and complaining as well as there being a stitch growing in her side. The latter would go away as she kept walking she knew that, that's what had happened to the last one, but her legs weren't going to get any better until she stopped and had a decent rest. Last of the complaints was that she was HUNGRY. She hadn't eaten something for at least a day and a half, more likely two days and she was doing all this walking, it was a wonder she hadn't fainted from exhaustion already. Maybe she was just strong willed? She somewhat doubted that but wasn't up to arguing it with herself, if her body was perfectly happy to keep moving and complain silently to her she'd accept that, she didn't want her body to suddenly stop in this dirty jungle place without her consent. At least, not until there was somewhere she could sit without having to worry about disappearing down a ditch or sliding away on a pile of loose rocks.

It wasn't nightfall but the sun was low in the sky when they all finally stopped. The black morph had been stirring for the last twenty minutes and was making noises enough now to get their attention. It wasn't an ideal spot to stop, it was exactly like everything else they'd passed through so far, trees, vines, bushes and green leafy things squashed together tightly on a rocky and very well mulched ground. It wasn't even a clearing, it was just a couple of feet without a tree or large plant of some kind taking up the small space large enough for them all to stand together. Even if it was somewhat crowded it was the biggest cleared space they'd found in the last hour and a half or so, so it had to do for now.

A groan, "Ubree... Uoorrgh... Yeesh.. My head hurts.." the black morph put a hand to his head and looked around at them from his perch in the giant's arms. He blinked a couple of times before shouting, "Yee-OW! My HEAD!" and he closed his eyes again holding his head. "I'd advise you keep your mouth shut a while and think of other things until that headache goes away.. And don't bother trying to get down you probably can't walk yet." The black morph just groaned again as he held his head, he obviously had no intention of doing anything other than trying to get rid of his headache.

"If he had learnt recover like I told him to he'd be perfectly fine already, but Nooo.. he's too good for that," a grumble and snort at her side and she glanced at the nerd before shaking her head and looking back to the rest of them.

"Well we know Sur's not dead, what are we going to do now? This isn't really an ideal camp spot but it seems we aren't really going to get much better than this, at least if what we've gone through so far is anything to go by. We haven't even passed a river or water supply of any kind so far to backtrack and camp nearby to." There was a sigh and she looked at the woman as she retied her hair after pulling it loose to readjust it seeing most of it had come out anyway.

"We'll try going forwards for a little longer, if we can't find anything better than this we'll come back and camp here."

A couple of sighs and a groan but they kept walking.

And of course, as luck would have it, three hundred meters and twenty more minutes they walked right into a large cleared area. Cleared only because it was a small mountain of rocks seemingly dumped there for no reason and with no greenery upon it aside from a single giant tree growing at the peak of the mini mountain.

"Well wasn't it a good idea we kept going those extra five minutes, otherwise we would of missed this." The woman threw something at the army guy who ducked just in time before they started looking through the rocks for somewhere safe camp.

The sun now nearly gone from the sky and all but the giant sat in a small cave halfway up the mini mountain of rocks and slate. They fitted comfortably enough as long as they all stayed sitting up and the giant didn't come in, not that he really minded, it wasn't raining or windy or anything, though it was a little cold the giant didn't seem to notice or care about that sort of thing though so was perfectly happy where he was.

"Well it's good to know you're back to your usual talkative self Sulphur."

The black morph poked his tongue out at the woman as she threw a berry at his head. His eyes suddenly went wide as he gagged and choked before a hard pat on his back made him spit up the food. Still coughing and spluttering he glared at the woman before picking up the berry again and eating it. The woman made a face and he smirked, "Shouldn't waste food."

The morph had woken up properly a while ago but had only recently gotten back to his usual self. It was recently enough though to of gone back out into the jungle forest and collect a decent selection of berries and fruits for them all to eat. The giant didn't include himself in the activity of eating, instead he sat and watched them as they filled their stomachs. She wondered at this a little but decided not to question it, the giant probably had his own reasons for not wishing to eat.

Actually they'd been sitting for at least fifteen minutes now and most of the food was gone. She'd been fairly surprised at the relaxed nature of everyone as they sat around talking and eating, even the giant said a few things though whoever actually needed to listen to the words had to pause in what they were doing so they'd hear it properly.

She didn't know how it came around to it, or even if she actually said the words herself but suddenly they were talking about who they all were and why they'd grabbed her. First though were proper introductions.

"Well you know I'm Bj," the army guy smiled at her before pointing at the nerd. "That's David, our resident scientist."

Coughmumblecough.

She quickly looked at the morph at the sound of the cough but he just smiled pleasantly and acted as if he hadn't done anything.

The army guy sighed and shook his head as he looked at the black morph, "That would be Sulphur or Sur' as Susan likes to call him. He's our-"

"Quality assurance man. We need someone in this group who has a sense of style and grace to make up for the lack there of of everyone else." The morph smirked before being pelted with a large red berry that splattered right over his face.

"Continue dreaming Sur'. He's actually our resident morph as every team is required to have at least one member that has elemental abilities of some kind so that when all the weapons are gone or run out there's still someone with long range attack abilities." The woman looked at her with one end of her mouth still curled up from smirking at the morph, "And I'd be Susan. I'm basically in the same category as Benny there but for the fact I don't take orders mindlessly like him." She smirked again and the man sighed once more before pointing outside.

"That out there is 'Bur. He's-"

"He's here because he was Conner's research aide," the nerd mumbled from behind the army guy who sighed yet again before sitting back.

"Oh give it up David, it's not Bj's fault that Conner stayed behind."

A snort and the nerd went back to eating.

"Ok. So what-uh, how come I'm here and who are you people?" she started.

"Oh, right. Sorry, we should of done this a while ago, but the whole running and fighting and then that trek through the forest, I forgot you didn't know what was going on."

"Well-"

"-Yes yes, go on Benny, tell Clarissa all about why we grabbed her from that nice apartment building she'd been happily living in and dragged her all this way with us when it would of been so much easier to of left her there to her own thing." She looked in surprise at the morph, and was about to comment when the army guy mumbled something and went back to speaking. "Well, we're part of a group.. "

"Well duh."

"Sulphur!"

"Fine, fine, I'll shut up.." a wave of his hands as if to deflect the anger, a grin stayed firm on his features though in a teasing manner.

"We're one group which is part of an organisation who-"

"Still need to find a name to call ourselves," the morph snickered.

A sigh and he tried to start again once more, "All of us here are part of a group of People, Pokemorphs and Pokemon who are basically the only ones making a difference in this war between us and the Demons that are attempting to destroy the world. We grabbed you because Conner believed that you are one of six people that will help us finally stop the Demons from winning and return things back to normal, or at least as normal as it will be possible at the end of all of this. You're the link that'll connect the other five people we're going to find that's needed to hold it all together. I can't really say much else on that because I don't know the details.." He glanced at the nerd but the nerd was making a point not to be part of the conversation. "But I'm sure you'll be filled in when we meet up with others at the next facility we can get to. They can answer any questions you have to do with all that."

"Ok. Soo.. What do you mean by people, pokemorphs AND Pokemon? And what do you mean by Demons? Someone said those things that attacked us before looked like demons.." She looked around at them all trying to remember who'd said it before stopping at the army guy again her mind still blank.

"I'll answer the second question first, it'll help to explain the first one. Yes Demons. Demons are what those half dead looking things that are now attacking and destroying Kanto are. And it's not just a label that we've put on them, that's really what they are. They come from a time of magic and Pokemon rule. They're beings from before humans ever existed, they're from when there was only Pokemon walking around on this planet and they were the ruling body. They are what Demons are in the form they were originally thought of and created in, not like the creatures we humans have made them out to be. What those things out there are, those things that have destroyed so much, that's what a REAL Demon looks and behaves like. That's what a Demon was originally intended as.

Now Demons and Magic may sound like children's stories. But you've seen the Demons and you've heard what they can do and that isn't even the half of it. There's a hell of alot more that they've done and are doing that was just too horrifying and disgusting for any of those reporters out there to tell the rest of the world about. Demons are very much like what you think of in children's stories except for the fact they're so very much worse. They live for the misery and pain they create, they take pride and pleasure in ruining other creatures lives and destroying all that's around them. Demons are the ultimate combination of stupidity, power and ruthlessness that humans themselves have tried to create at one time or another through out history. They're also near indestructible. They'll continue to try and destroy you even with half their own body missing and with what's left full of holes. Demons treat a gushing wound or missing limb just like we'd treat a small bump, they ignore it or get over it extremely quickly and keep doing whatever they were doing before they were wounded with no change in strength or attitude.

Demons are the ultimate creation to use as weapons in a war because they have no self-preservation instinct, they just keep barrelling through until it's physically impossible for them to keep going. They have no sense of pity or regret, they have no mercy. They're just brute force with a mind for only one thing.

Magic is what created the Demons, though magic in itself isn't bad, it's no more than what the wielder intends for it, much like any item that can be picked up and used. Everything has the ability to be used as a weapon even if it were to be a very crude weapon and can be used as such as well as for it's original function. Magic's from the same time as the Demons and just like the Demons were almost completely forgotten in modern times. At least as they once were. Both magic and Demons have existed in our times as well, just in different forms, in humanised shapes and not true like they once were. Which is a bitch as magic is the only real weapon that can be used against Demons as it can actually hold and contain them as well as destroy them. Where as everything we now have that's designed as a weapon or cage is easily dodged or destroyed by them.

For the second question, Pokemon were the original users of magic and the ones who first had any contact with Demons so they're the only ones who really know how it works. Of course this doesn't mean that all Pokemon automatically know all there is to know about Demons or magic, it just means that they have a higher likeliness to have some sort of knowledge compared to us humans.

Pokemon were the first creatures to realise what was happening when this all started. They felt the disturbances in the air and knew that something big was about to go down, though most didn't realise it as anything more than a basic instinct buried somewhere deep inside themselves."

"Ok, if all that stuff is true and what those things are are Demons and they come from before humans even existed and when Pokemon knew about Magic.. How come all this is happening now? What's so great about now that they decided to start destroying everything, why didn't they do it earlier or something like that?"

"There's a balance about things, there's always something else that'll counter everything and from what we know something went about completely throwing the balance off that stops Demons from becoming so numerous and powerful that they can attempt something like what they're doing now. We don't know what exactly it is that they've done to throw everything off so badly but we're pretty sure it has something to do with the Southern Islands and happened initially in that region, the disturbances started down there before they started hitting the southern border of Kanto.

Also it's the most suited time they've ever had to do something like this. Magic, the only thing that can really counter Demons has been all but forgotten in the past centuries, technology has grow to a level that most people are almost completely dependant on it. Pokemon no longer play any substantial role in the lives of anyone else on this planet, there's always something you can get that's 'better' or more useful than a Pokemon in this day and age. We've pretty much lost our only chances of being able to defend ourselves against something like what's happening, it was the perfect time for them to strike."

She sat back a moment and thought, "You don't really know that much about what's happening do you? You just know these things are destroying everything, they're called Demons and that the only weapons you say that really work against them you don't even know how to use since no one knows Magic anymore. You've also grabbed me because I'm part of -something- you don't know about either, in which me and five others are supposed to stop everything, which of course you don't know how that works either. I can't help but think you should of left me where I was like the fur face said before, at least then I wouldn't of been dragged all over the place."

As far as she knew everyone was asleep now, each person curled up inside the cave except for the giant who sat with his back to them all, staring out into the jungle forest. The conversation had dulled after her last comment, little else being said that was of interest to her and despite what the army guy said or any of them said she really wasn't of any other opinion other than the one she had said. All this had been a waste of time as far as she was concerned and she'd much rather of preferred to of been left back in her apartment watching the static on the tv.

She turned over again, probably for the five-hundredth time, despite the fact she'd been walking all day and had to shove through jungle greens with more effort than she'd used to do anything for months she just couldn't get to sleep. Her body was complaining, she didn't know what it was saying but it definitely wasn't that it wanted to stay where she was, curled up and cramped to sleep. Her mind was also buzzing, all about the things she'd learnt, seen and gone through in the past couple of days. So she got up, trying to be as quiet as possible so as not to disturb anyone else she went outside the scoop of a cave and out onto the platform the giant was on.

She was moving around, looking for somewhere comfortable to stretch out when the giant's head suddenly turned around to look at her. He blinked once then went back to staring out a the jungle.

"Oook.."

"He does that, I wouldn' worry about it if I were you."

"ACK!" She quickly spun around to glare at the black morph, perfectly perched upon one of the higher rocks on the mini mountain, his golden rings glowing faintly in the moonlight. "Don't do that!"

"Oh don't be like that, it's not like there's anything else living out here, aside from the plants that is of course.. And probably some bugs, no Pokemon though, not a single living thing with half a brain. Well of course excluding myself." He smirked and she just continued to glare at him in the dark.

"That's not the point," she huffed before turning her back on him and sitting where she was, attempting to ignore him.

He shrugged, "Oh well, not my problem is it?"

He suddenly dropped down beside her, grinning so his white teeth showed perfectly in contrast to his dark face, "So what you doing out here so late then? Should be tired with all that tiresome hacking and trudging through the jungle and all, from what I'm told you did that for hours and I'm pretty sure it's safe to assume hard labour has never really been your thing. You should be dead to the world."

She continued trying to ignore him, only moving over slightly so she wasn't quite so close to the morph.

"Oh fine, be like that then. I'm just being friendly."

"I thought you said you didn't like me," she glared at him again.

"Lookie, it can speak!" and he just made a face at her as her glare intensified.

"Fine, fine, it's better than nothing. You see 'Bur over there's never been much for conversation especially at night when it's cold, the whole rockiness of him and everything becomes cold and he's even slower than usual in the dark so it's not much fun. Plus, you're awake and it's always fun to torment someone new."

"I'm sure that gets you lots of friends.." She looked at the giant again, "What do you mean the 'rockiness' of him? He's not a giant rock or something is he?" she couldn't help but make a face.

"You obviously don't know much about morphs."

"I didn't realise he was one.."

The black morph beside her looked dumbstruck, "You gotta be kiddin me. What'd you think he was? An over grown human? A human freak?"

She shifted her weight somewhat, "Well I dunno.. I didn't really think about it."

"Yeesh. Yes 'Bur's a morph, he's a Golem/Snorlax combo, that's why he's so bloody big and thick skinned. It's the whole pretty much solid rockiness about him covered with an exceedingly tough skin."

"A what? A Golem and Snorelex?"

He slapped his head, "Oh the starry heavens, she doesn't know anything does she.. It's so sad with the kids today, don't know the slightest thing about their Pokemon, so very very sad.."

"Hey!"

He looked at her and shook his head, "Well it's true ain't it? You don't know jack shit about Pokemon, most people at least know what a Snorlax is.. At least where I come from they do.. But then you're a lil city girl aren't you? The city people never know nothing except maybe what a Pidgey is.." He sighed, "Ah well."

"So you going to explain to me what a SnorlAx and Golem are or you just gonna keep going on about me not knowing anything?"

"Yeah yeah, you need some patience girl." She glared at him again. "Yes yes, fine. A Golem is the third evolution of a rock type line of Pokemon, basically a large ball or rocks with a two stocky arms and legs then a small head sticking out the front with a cap sort of thing atop it's head. That's why 'Bur don't have no hair, he's got that cap thingy on his head from his Golem parentage, you should of at least noticed the ridges around that big flat nose of his and along his brow ridge." She nodded. "So yeah, that's a Golem. A Snorlax is a giant fat navy blue and cream thing that basically lives to eat and eat and eat and eat. We're lucky, 'Bur really doesn't have any more character traits of a Snorlax aside from his hight and thick skin. If 'Bur were anything like a normal Snorlax his mind wouldn't do anything more than think about food or sleeping and that's about all his body would do as well. We're VERY lucky that he's more Golem than Snorlax, it kept him from having a giant gut as well, he's more evenly shaped, sorta like a barrel on legs aside from a giant beach ball with limbs. He's somewhat slower in thinking than a human or even a Snorlax but you can excuse that, most Rock types are like that and even some Plant types if you try speaking to the wrong ones." She looked at the black morph then at the giant in surprise, "So he's basically a walking rock that talks then?" He shook his head, "No, he's more than that. He's got a really intelligent brain under all that thick-headedness. You wont ever hear me say this again but he's got more brains than I do in his way, it just takes a little longer than for most of us for it to compute. It's not like as if he's ever really had to worry about time before. Him and his kind have some of the longest lifespans of anything alive, so it's like he's got all the time in the world for the solution to come to mind and then to proceed with going through with the following actions. Rock types like to take their time, it's just how rocks are, they're never in a hurry."

"So you're saying he's gonna live until he's a hundred and fifty or something?"

"Oh no, no, no. He's already more than double that," the morph proceeded to wave a black clad hand infront of him like as if this wasn't a big deal.

"He's What?" She was now wide-eyed and staring.

"Hey keep your voice down, we don't need to wake everyone up." He did make a move to cover her mouth but the look she gave him gave him other ideas. "Anyway, yes, I said he was over three-hundred years old. It's probably closer to four-hundred or something anyways. He's only a second generation morph."

"As apposed to what?"

"Well me, personally, I'm eighth generation and that's only the free generations, that's not including the ones during the wars or the maker generations.. 'Bur's at extreme most third generation and that's including upto and including his maker generation, I'm thinking that his parents were probably part of the maker generation though anyway but I can't be completely sure. 'Bur's OLD. He don't look it but he is. He lived through most of The War and he hasn't got much to show for it, but he was there, it's guaranteed."

She sat there for a while longer silent, trying to imagine how someone could possibly live for THAT long and how you really couldn't tell how old the giant was. She still couldn't think of him really as a morph, he looked so human as apposed to the black furred person sitting beside her.

"Ok so I know what th- 'Bur is now. What are you?" She looked at the black morph again.

"I'm an Umbreon, one of the oldest type of Pokemon there is." She raised a brow as she looked at him. "Oh don't look at me like that, it's true. Umbreon have been around for nearly forever, same with Espeon and Eevee. Eevee's what we evolve from by the way as from the look on your face I can figure you don't know what those are.. Eevee are basically little brown fox like things with a big glorious fluffy tail with a white tip and then sorta puffs around their chests, shoulders and back." She suddenly burst out laughing, picturing the suave black morph infront of her decked out in pompoms and a bushy tail.

"Hey! No need to laugh. It wasn't that bad.. plus I'm sure you looked wonderful as a gawky little human kid, not that you still aren't now," he sneered at her in retaliation. That shut her up.

"Well anyway yeah, that's what I am. I'm an Umbreon morph, a pure shadow sort of Pokemon that looks like a sleeker fox. Of course Umbreon usually have a gold mark upon their forehead where as I don't. Don't ask me WHY I don't have one as I don't know, it's just a family thing I guess. It goes right through my family line of Umbreon. Sorta goes with the whole thing that my entire family line are ONLY Umbreon, excluding two Vaporeon and Flareon from the maker generation.. But that's not the point. I'm an Umbreon through and through and that's my heritage along with my well, not mark as there's no mark, so it's sorta my non-mark. Heh."

He was rubbing the spot between his eyes as she sat and thought about this. She didn't really have much else to say, but that changed quickly enough.

"Ok, seeing as I obviously don't know squat about Pokemon, which you figured already so don't look at me like THAT! Anyways, plus the fact I'm not tired despite all that walking and thrashing through forest earlier AND that from what I can tell now from you people I'm probably gonna be associating alot more with your kind as well as normal Pokemon I might as well learn something so as not to look too stupid.. Unless of course you're not up to the challenge? Maybe you're too tired?" She smirked at him as the morph's expression and posture went extremely haughty at the implication that teaching her about Pokemon would be TOO hard for him.

"No of course I'm not too tired, I'm a night time Pokemon and I had that big sleep earlier, I'm more awake than you'd ever be at night! So there!"

Immature, she still stuck by that impression. That comment on him sleeping earlier reminded her of something though.. Problem now was that he was starting to reel off information about Pokemon and she really was telling the truth, she didn't know jack shit about Pokemon in general or even specifically about any one of them. So, she really could do to listen to what the morph said, maybe she'd actually pick something up.

This lasted at least an hour and a half but of course she WAS tired after all that walking and trashing through the jungle forest and gradually she was finding herself forcing her eyes to stay open and missing half of what the morph was saying. So once the morph had told her for the fourth or fifth time rather loudly to WAKE UP he finally got the point and made sure to keep her awake enough only to get her back to the cave to lie down and goto sleep until everyone else woke up again in the coming morning.

Events weren't really that interesting for the next week and a half. They were still travelling through the jungle forest, of which the jungle was becoming somewhat more foresty and easier to walk through without having to hack out the entire path for them to walk along. Also life was showing itself around them. The first sign had been a quick flash as they startled a resting Aipom as they slashed through one particularly rough patch of greenery and had unwittingly removed nearly the entire cover the monkey Pokemon had been hiding in. Aside from the fact it had completely startled them all, it was a welcome sign of life after nearly a week without the slightest hint that anything was living within the jungle forest aside from plants. After that it took only half a day before the more typical common place sounds of the jungle started to filter through the air. Various bird cries and bug sounds, rustlings all around them by Pokemon doing what they naturally did, some of which they saw and others that were no more than glowing eyes in the dark. It was all surprisingly relaxing to hear all the sounds and everyone quickly started losing all the pent up tension they'd gathered from walking through silence for so long where they'd all been on high alert nearly all the time. No one really knew why there'd been no signs of Pokemon for so long but most of them were at least partially sure it had something to do with the place they'd come out of, it was a often repeated topic of conversation when they stopped for the nights. She had to admit she'd been liking the nights of recent. After that initial talk about Pokemon with the black morph they'd gotten into the habit of doing the same thing every night. While everyone else slept herself and the black morph would sit together watching the forest around them and 'Bur while he told her different things about Pokemon and other things that related to them. She liked him as a teacher despite the fact he got somewhat huffy at her asking questions he didn't always know answers to. For as he repeatedly said himself, he didn't know ALL there was to know about Pokemon, he wasn't a Pokemon Researcher, of course then he had to go about explaining what exactly a Pokemon Researcher was as she didn't really have a clue. But the point was that he only knew as much as he'd learnt in his lifetime so far and that was from socialising with other morphs and asking questions of his parents when he was younger. The morph's knowledge wasn't overly extensive but it was by far more than she'd ever known herself previously. The best she'd ever known of Pokemon was that there were alot of morphs in the world, not in her district though and that Pidgey made good lunch bins for lunches her mother had made she had no wish to eat during school.

So her knowledge was growing and she was becoming somewhat more fit with all this walking and now only occasional thrashing through the jungle forest. The people she was with weren't THAT bad though she was still rather undecided on the whole magic and Demon things and the nerd continued to give her the creeps. The two morphs were good though, despite the black morph's idiocy and seemingly pompous superior attitude. The other two people were ok as well but she didn't really talk to them much. This whole thing was a completely different experience to anything she'd ever encounted before though, this was the first time she'd never been within a mile of a city for starters. Then there was the whole lack of technology which wasn't really as bad as she thought it would of been. The fact they were walking all the time somewhat helped in the lack of tv or electronic games respect, she couldn't really complain about being bored, the forest was surprisingly interesting, especially now there was life in it. She found herself continually trying to catch a glimpse of the more shy creatures and guessing at who or what made the various sounds they heard. Of course her mini-escapades away from the group sometimes got one of them racing after her to drag her back after stumbling into somewhere she really shouldn't of. This happened alot more often than she cared for but she was still determined to look around some on her own and more than half the time she didn't have the situation explained to her so she made the same mistakes again. She blamed them instead of herself in these situations, easy solution of course.

Her highlight so far had been spotting a small group of wild Pikachu, she didn't know what they were when she first saw them but they were utterly adorable in her opinion. She had all the inclination to run out and hug them but they ran off before she could even have a second thought.

After that incounter she had this funny feeling of being watched but whenever she looked around there was nothing there. So instead of letting her imagination run away with the idea she just told herself, yes of course there was something watching her, there was always something watching them all. The forest was filled with things watching the curious group of two leggers trudging through their homes, it was only natural.

* * *

There was something about them.

He didn't know what but he knew it was something..

So he had to follow.

It wasn't that hard, they were larger and had trouble getting through the thicker clumps of vegetation where as he didn't. They also had no obvious knowledge of where they were going or they would of gone around all those harder areas to pass, so thusly were taking much longer than they should to be getting anywhere.

So it was relatively easy.

It was also easy to keep himself hidden, though one or two times it was pure luck he wasn't seen. That one young female was continually looking around making him stick to the thicker growths and darker shades so he wasn't seen, more so than he'd of liked. But still it was fairly easy.

The only real problem he was having was to keep his metal parts from shining. There was gradually more and more peircings of sunlight filtering down from the canopy and so more oppertunities for them to hit and reflect light off the metal. That was annoying. He knew that if that ever happened he'd be in real trouble. He didn't know why exactly, it wasn't just the usual animal self-preservation feeling, it was something else.

Yet despite this he still had a need to follow..

So he was.

* * *

_**Click.**_

_Cybernetics™ would like to remind you that the older model components and versions of Cybernetic™ Units can still compete with the best of today's new models when properlly prepared._

_**Click.

* * *

**_

A Year Previously

* * *

"It wont be much longer now..

Welcome-.."

A flash.

His head reeled, his senses flaring and suddenly his mind went blank.

The next moment his head was flooded, flooded with everything that had happened in his known lifetime up to this very moment. Everything that had lead up to this situation he was in now. The one in which a human child could do so much to a God such as he!

A child!

Everything was a blur, one memory blending into another until they finally started to slow down, gradually one memory or thought becoming separate to another. Slowing down to remind him of the last few months of his life, months of torture and confinement.

It hadn't been his fault!

He couldn't of seen this happening, if he'd known what would happen to him the moment he appeared before that child he would never of done it. Never of left his guard down against something so seemingly powerless. Something that had stolen his freedom and power! That had destroyed his life as he knew it then attempted to break his spirit!

He wanted to thrash about, to fight against it all. But he couldn't.. All those memories were stopping him, he was reliving every moment of the torture he'd gone through over the past several months. Months of waiting and waiting and waiting and gradually losing faith and hope in life itself. Something he would never of believed was possible. If he had been told before this all happened that it could, even by the remotest chance, he would of laughed, he would of laughed so hard the oceans would of swelled and the skies fallen with his tears. He wasn't laughing now, he hadn't laughed in a very long time.

He couldn't believe that a child was capable of what this one had done. It had captured and confined him, something no human had ever been able to successfully do before now. Then it had done something so much much worse. It had stolen his powers, restricted them so that for every movement, every thought it was an unimaginable effort to do so. Then it had began something he didn't know was possible. The child began to break him, changing him into something different, something he didn't want to be and couldn't accept, something he kept fighting and fighting. A fight that the child was gradually winning despite all his efforts to make it otherwise. At first the child had only started with scratching, scratching lightly at the surface of his mind, nothing more than insubstantial scrapes that he could ignore. Then it started chipping, small bits at first, then larger and larger, gradually taking away more and more of his being until finally he was removing great chunks, boulders of everything that made him who he was, who he had always been.

At first he'd ignored it.. Then as more was taken away he started to fight and fight and fight.. Then he started to slow, losing his faith in what he was doing, beginning to doubt in the reasons he was fighting for. So he left it, he left the child to chipping away at his mind, removing everything he'd once believed in he no longer saw the point in doing otherwise.

Then It started to surface. As he was giving into what was happening to him something that had been hiding or maybe contained behind himself, his mind and being began to crawl out. Something that was best hidden and undiscovered.. Something vile. Vile and repulsive that was slowly raising it's head and looking around, stretching out slowly, tentatively as if to test it's footing within his body. This new being reignited his spark, gave him the power to renew his fight. To try and fight the child and what it was doing to him. He didn't want to be removed just to have this vile creature take him over, to replace him.. He could of accepted his own destruction, even to become a shell containing nothing if it really came down to it.. But to let something like this thing that had been hiding behind his mind take over, no, he couldn't let that be, he couldn't let that happen, he had to fight like he'd never tried to fight before and he HAD to win.

His renewed effort had put a dent in the child's, it had deterred him for a week or so but that was not enough, it had not been enough. The child just came back later, returning with more of the strange power that it always came to him with and continued to chisel at his mind, to remove larger and larger pieces of him despite all his own efforts to fight it, to keep it from happening.

He didn't know what this strange power was that the child kept bringing to use against him but he always seemed to have more and more of it. At first the child had returned more often, days sometimes even hours between visits but then it gradually trickled down to weeks and for the last two times it had been months between visits. Despite this the potency of the power the child brought never diminished, in fact it increased with each visit, the power becoming stronger and stronger, removing more of his being with less effort each time. Those last few months were the hardest, there was so little of himself left to fight with and the other thing inside of him was gaining more control with every passing day, growing larger and stronger each moment.

The problem was that this thing growing inside of him could use this strange power the child brought even after the child had stopped using it to chip away at his mind. So every given opportunity it could the vile thing would, making him fight harder for a cause he was beginning to doubt he had any real chance in winning.

As they fought the other thing had taunted him, laughed in his face, said words and thought things that completely repulsed him. He couldn't believe that this vile creature had been there, hidden behind his own mind and being for so long without him knowing. It was such a creature that he'd always fought against, something he'd only believed to be found within the hearts of certain humans. He didn't believe that there could of possibly been another living creature that could possibly think so strongly like this thing did. In such an arrogant and self-centred way.

Suddenly he screamed..

Then he laughed..

Last he cried..

In that one flash he'd forgotten..

He'd forgotten to fight in that single moment when his mind had been flooded with all those past thoughts and memories.

He lost his anchor.

He lost the last part of himself he had left.

He was no more.

"...-Back Master Rugia."

* * *

It has been done.

The first part is completed.

We have only to wait..

I wonder if he knows yet..

* * *

And that's chapter three complete..

Which has taken waaaaaaaaay too long and is the shortest chapter so far because it's just been annoying me and I want it done. So it's done now and I can start the next chapter..

Bye!

Hopefully next chapter wont take so long n it'll be better n blah blah.. Bye!


	4. Awakenings

Chap 4.

* * *

Awakenings

* * *

**Click.**

_Cybernetics™ regrets to inform you that you can no longer purchase the PK447 model._

**Click.

* * *

**

A note by Clarissa K. Klark.

Four days in this facility and I've been blasted from ear to ear with information.. Bloodyhell, I wish they'd slow down a bit, there's so much already to process that everything they've been telling me of late just goes right on over my head.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Hey guess what? We made it out of the jungle and back to civilization! Woohoo!

Well no, not really woohoo. Everyone's going CRAZY. And I -really- mean crazy.. There's people running through the streets screaming, things being smashed and broken, people shooting at each other, even pokemon going psycho and attacking people for no reason what so ever. It's like pandamonia out there.. it's just freaky.

I am so glad that we didn't spend more than a day and a half in all that shit.. A week walking through forest then a day through farmlands then into suberbia. I don't know if suberbia is worse or better than the city. In the city it's more consistant it's just a buzz in the background now with the occasional loud explosion, where as in the suberbia it happened suddenly and only now and then. People and pokemon suddenly appearing from nowhere or blasting us for coming too close to them without realising. I can't help but be grateful of 'Bur and Sulpher, they kept me from being blasted so many times I couldn't possibly count it.

Those two nights in suberbia and the city were just pure hell, there was always someone on guard and you kept waking up suddenly to either a loud explosion or gun fire. I can honestly say I hated it.

You know what the shittiest thing is? The Demons aren't even in this area yet, they're still three citys over, both southernly and easterly. It's just lame, why the hell are all the people freaking like this already? It's not like as if looting and shooting anything that moves is REALLY going to help you or anyone else. Like duh.

Oh I don't know.. People are just stupid I guess, they don't know what's good for them and all that sort of thing, it's just really annoying. Where I was living, my home and all, none of this happened. People just up and left, or disappeared suddenly. There was only ever one explosion and that one flooded the sky with dust for a couple of days, but still, there weren't any little explosions or people trying to kill each other.. It's just so strange for it to be happening like this here.

Well, enough with all that freakyness.

There's a lot more interesting freakiness than that that I've got to say.

Like first of all! Guess what those things were that attacked us at that strange old place were? And what the place even was!

I bet you couldn't guess!

Nah, I didn think you could..

Well for starters, those things that attacked us -were- Demons. Yep those stupidly strong flying rocks were Demons. But they're another kind of them, a variation per say. You know I didn't even realise there were variations, I just figured there were those dead things on bat wings and that was it. But nope, I was wrong there's a whole heap of different ones and they come in all different rankings, meaning there's some that are really strong and others that are really weak and everything inbetween. I'm still rather undecided if that's a good or a bad point. But anyways, my point is that those rocks are a variation of Demons, Gargoyles to be exact. Now I'm sure like me you just thought gargoyles were those ugly looking statues positioned on REALLY old buildings or the things those weird excentric types collect who just like novelty stuff. Nope, we're both wrong. Well, they -are- usually positioned on really old buildings but that's because generally they're -really- old themselves so they can't help it. Anyways. These Gargoyles act much like gargoyles are supposedly supposed to act. They guard stuff, or look over it, warding off bad spirits and evil doers and that sort of thing. Which I must say sounded really strange to me seeing as they're DEMONS and all but whatever. Anyway, they guard stuff, protecting whatever they've been Bound to (Bound is like uh, well it's pretty much what it says but it's more solid, like it's almost impossible for them to break the Bond without breaking themselves) like buildings or sacred spots, things like that. They're supposed to keep anything from destroying or damaging what they're bound to. THAT's why they attacked David when he tried to attach a transmitter to the stone, they didn't exactly appreciate someone defacing what they were guarding over. So yeah, that was actually his fault and we can put all the blame on him.

Hey sue me if I'm smiling, that guy still gives me the creeps.

Anyway, Gargoyles aren't really that bad I've found out. They're pretty brainless, witless, braindead, etc. They can think and all, obviously, or they wouldn't of been so damned fast with their attacks, but they haven't got brains for what you'd call 'intelligent' conversation. They're slow witted and or just generally really slow. Or at least they supposedly are. Those things seemed pretty smart to me, but of course I didn't sit down and play chess with them.

You know, if it wasn't for us, these guys here wouldn't of even know that Gargoyles really existed, cause there'd been no proof to their knowledge of anyone ever even finding one before, at least not living ones like we did. Of course that could be because anyone walking around there and touching and moving stuff like these scientist types seem to do probably would of agravated the Gargoyles and they'd of killed them. But they seem to be overlooking that somewhat.

Anyway, that's enough about the Gargoyles.. I still haven't said what that place was.

It was a Blood Temple.

Sounds neat doesn't it?

Well it's actually exceedingly gross and morbid and reminds me of stuff I didn't really pay attention to in some of my history classes, like about the first people and how they worshipped their gods and how -exactly- they tried to gain favour with their gods. Except it seems that much worse because it was all Pokemon. They did it to themselves and each other.. it's just gross.

Blood Temples aren't even supposed to exist, much like Demons I guess.. Gargoyles too, heh. But Blood Temples are that more unlikely because from what I've picked up there's basically nothing known about that period in time. It's like from ages ago, even further back than all this stuff with the five people/pokemon/morphs thing. Like I mean, millenia further back than that.. and now that's just disturbing. It can't help but make you feel somewhat insignificant in comparison for the entire human race compared to pokemon. It's just well, bleah.

Anyway, Blood Temples aren't supposed to exist because the only ever known references to them is a stone tablet depicting the image of some sort of temple draped in red and a whole heap of scriptures beneath that was supposedly found then lost and an old childrens tale that was supposedly passed from a Pokemon to a human back in the, quote, ''early days''. And that was only a passing reference. Like, the main character, some pokemon of some kind (it changes depending who's telling the story) is doing it's quest and all that and it stops over in a Blood Temple for one night because of like weariness and stuff. But it doesn't last the entire night because of the deranged Pokemon living within the Blood Temple discover the sleeping Pokemon and attempt to sacrifice him to the gods. Of course there's a bloody battle and he gets away and continues the rest of his quest (of which he is sucsessful in completeing of course) with no other mention of Blood Temples or anything else along those lines. The only reason they even believe that story is so old and that it coensides with the whole 'Blood Temples Theology' is because it's a story told right through history, just in so many slight variations it's mind-boggoling.

Anyways, supposedly a Blood Temple was supposed to of been made by the servants of the Gods so that they could see that the Gods were being justly respected. Meaning sacrifices be made in the name of the Gods as offerings for everything the Gods supposedly gave them. Just like humans used to do so long ago, when we were all uncivilized and all that. It's creepy, picturing Pokemon killing each other to appease something they can't even see.. Though supposedly Pokemon Gods walk among us like any other Pokemon, they're just so rare no one ever sees them.. or something like that. I'm not totally sure, Sulpher wasn't as specific on the point as I had hoped he would be.

There's only one more point on that subject, at least that I can remember right now, that's worth mentioning. Seeing as we were the first people to ever get to the Blood Temple and come back alive and all, we're supposed to be able to name the discovery.. Or something like that. Of course, not all of us, just the person who discovered it. Now that has been some very amusing arguments between David and Sulpher, both arguing against each other over -who- exactly should name the place officially or what to call it officially or whatever. David thinks he should be the one because he was the first one to set foot in the place, where as Sulpher thinks he should because he knew what the place was first. Then goes into a round-a-bout argument about David saying Sulpher doesn't know anything, he's not a scientist or a archeologist or anything and wouldn't have a clue what to do in relation to a find like the Blood Temple. And then Sulpher retaliates with the fact that David almost got us all killed and that if he ever went back there he'd probably never come back again, just because he has no common sense and'd probably trip every trap set down in those stones. It really is very funny to watch them fight it out, even if it don't sound it. David almost always loses his cool first and makes trite remarks to Sulpher that he deflects like annoying flies. It's only when Sulpher loses his cool as well that they both end up red-faced and storming off into opposite directions so as not to speak to each other for the next couple of hours.

You'd think with all the noise those two make that we'd be found here, ah well, it's probably better that nothing notices, especially over all that noise out there. Those crazy people would probably have a field day smashing and blasting stuff in here if they ever got the chance.

Anyway, there's other stuff been said as well, as those are only like, well, pretty much two or three things that have been discussed since we first got here.

One of the other main topics are just how far the Demons have gotten through Kanto already and what exactly it is they're destroyed or done.. at least they've tried to get as complete reports as possible on those matters. I haven't really hung around the main rooms to do with that stuff. It's like when I was sitting infront of the tv trying to listen for voices and hearing people scream instead except a hundred fold. They've got so many stations and streams coming in that it's just disturbing, it blurs all together and becomes distorted and if you're in there for too long you get used to it.. At least that's what Sulpher's said. It thoroughly creeps him out, he comes out of those rooms and his eyes are glazed, like as if he's in a waking nightmare or something. It usually takes him a little while to snap out of it but even for an hour or more afterwards he'll be somewhat distant. I've never asked why he acts like that, I don't want to know. It's my own choice that I don't go into those rooms often, at least, if I can't help it. They don't stop me, not that they really could if I wanted, too many of them are paying attention to what they're doing to notice anyone else.

Anyway, enough of that. That's all depressing and ick, no one wants to hear about all that.

Ah crud, I forgot to say where we even are.

We're in Viridian City, or at least what's left of it. Heh.

We're in this huge underground complex, it was supposedly abonded at least a century ago. Some sort of secret organization built it for some reason and someone discovered it by accident one day and well, that person told another person and they told another and etc etc. Someone who's part of the AAT (Attack And Terminate, hehe. That's not actually what it's called, but it's one of the lines they use to communicate with each other and it just stuck) found out about it from so and so person and so they set off to find this place.. of which of course they did. And thusly set up one of their main basecamps here. Of course it's not really a proper military instilation or anything, all the stuff here is waaaay outdated, everything down to the hand computers and software, but it works and alot of it -has- been suped up for more effeciant use. The place is also pretty dark and dank, it's not the happiest place to be living in and I'm pretty sure that was intentional.. All the bare metal walls and everything and long long corridors that seem to go on forever and lead nowhere, it's like a maze when you first get in. But it's supposed to be better looking than when the first group found it, I keep hearing different stories about that but all of them say things like a whole level of the place's floors was litered with bodies and there was blood all over the walls and gross stuff like that. But eh, I've seen no sign of anything like that in the four days I've been here, even with equiring others and everything.

Enquiring others about anything has been annoyingly difficult in too many respects. The people here are from EVERYWHERE and I'm certain at least half of them don't speak the same dialect as me let alone language, either that or I've had someone following me around so I keep asking the same person different questions with the same result.. Now that'd be lame.

That's not the worst part though, there's also anthros EVERYWHERE as well.. And me, being from my posh family and all and living in a district that was pretty low on the whole morph population scale that's scarey. I keep seeing fury, scaled and whatever else they come in bodies, heads and hands. It's hell when walking down a dark corridor and suddenly something large and shadowy steps out of a doorway covered in spikes and with glitering canines.. I don't know how many times I've been scared shitless like that. Of course most of them are gracious and have manners.. At least to a decent degree. Then there's others that are just plain rude, arragont or arseholes in general. I've learnt that morphs can have as many different personalites as humans. It's somewhat annoying. They're also definately not all the same, that's for sure.. and not just in appearance.

And last of all we actually have the worst. There's almost as many POKEMON as anthros OR people in this place and I'm continually having to look down to make sure I'm not about to step on anyone in any busy traffic areas. They -really- don't appreciate being stepped on and I think I've been shocked three times, paralyzed twice and seriously burned two going on three times. Honestly, not enjoyable experiences. At least with some of them you -can- see them coming.. But then alot of those also take up all the hall space, thusly leaving no room to pass them without being squished, oh so enjoyable. Pokemon aren't just bad because it's near impossible to understand them but also because they're so bloody jumpy here. They're way too alert and weary, jumping at the slightest unusual disturbance. I know there's at least six people/anthros/pokemon alike that have had to be healed because of a Pokemon being startled and attacking without thinking. Also alot of them also aren't very patient when you can't understand what they mean, storming off and muttering in their own little languages..

Though I must say, I'm doing better than I would of had I not had those conversations with Sulpher before we got here.. At least I know what some of them are and what they can do, of course not so well that I've moved out of all situations I should of. Again more enjoyable experieces. Sulpher also did teach me a -few- sayings.. or at least things to say. Of course they're in Umbreon and not every Pokemon understands it and my accent is atrocious according to the few anthros who have heard me speak and knew what I was saying, or just wanted to bluntly state as such to me.

I also know a couple of phrases when they're spoken to me.. Of course nearly half of these are just general guesses to what they mean not specifics and come from grumpy Pokemon glaring at me and muttering something distasteful. I think I know at least four different insults. Hell if I could say them myself though.

It's not been so exceedingly bad though, I've had some help.

But first the other main topic, and this is the one I've sat in on the most.. Mostly as it actually has something to do with me as well.

It actually took me ages before I totally realised they were actually talking about -me- but that's not really a surprise, they kept using terms and names for things and people and such that I'd never heard of before. It was strange when I finally realised and things started to click.. at least a little. Things still don't make too much sense but at least they do a little more than they used to. I've got a clearer idea of what my purpose is.. well no, that's not true, I still only have a vague idea for that. But I know what we have to go looking for and who.

There's five like I knew already, but I didn't know why five, now I do. It seems that when all the magic and stuff used to go on in the past there was this one place where a city was built, (which of course is lost forever, but that's typical isn't it,) and inside the city were five different fractions made to divide up the magic and the learnings and such. And seeing as each fraction wasn't supposed to associate with another there were pretty much five distinct types of magic but altogether they made up the whole of magic. Sooo.. to have all the aspects of magic we need to find one person or pokemon or morph that coencides with each of the fractions. Of course we can't find just any old pokemon or morph or person, that's just stupid. It has to be five specific ones, possesors of certain souls that I've been told should still be around -somewhere-. That whole 'somewhere' aspect ain't reasuring but I've decided not to really dwell on it, the fact the informants haven't really expanded on the subject is even less encouraging. Anyways, these certain souls should still be around because they were special or something. Each of them was the strongest one ever under their fraction and had the best abilities in every aspect of their own type of magic. And because of some legend or other they're supposed to still be bound to earth, reborn continuously through time in different forms to keep them here, each living a new life with each new body they get and never remembering what they once were but still holding within their soul all the power of those important lives. Having an ability to call back on what they once knew as an instinct when the need applies.

According to most of them here alot of souls take on another form or body after their old one dies and begin new lives as different people or things. I've never really thought about that sort of thing but I guess it works and I really don't feel like arguing it much, especially when I don't exactly have anything to argue.

Anyway, most of the talk has been about the different fractions and what exactly makes them different, at least as far as they know. Of which honestly, isn't very much.

They know what the five groups were divided under though, The Moon, The Sun, Fire, Cold and Life.. I think that's it at least. Each was supposedly lorded over by some big honcho, they're undecided if it was gods, pokemon who thought they were gods or something else I've forgotten right now but there's quite a few arguments over the whole thing

Well anyway, we know what we're supposed to look for, now we just have to find the other four and right at the moment they're trying to decide -how- exactly they're going to do that because there's one lil problem that they could be pretty much -anywhere- and it'd really be that much more helpful if we knew where specifically and if they were very close. We're the ones who are going to have to go out and find them. Yes, me and the army guy and Sue and the nerd and the two morphs, mostly because it's unlikely they'd have time to come back here if here is even still here by the time they found everyone. Real optomistic ain't it? Anyway, we get to go on a witch hunt, hehe.

Now I said four before, no, that wasn't me forgetting how to count, we already know who one of them is.. Sulphur!

It was pretty much an educated guess already by some of the others but what he did back at the Blood Temple pretty much decided it for everyone. He did magic with that big blast thing. Sulphur's one of the five beings we have to find to get rid of the Demons and stop the destruction of everything and stuff.

Now of course he argued against this profusely, he couldn't accept all that heaped on him suddenly. Though personally I think he had an idea of it already, even if he wouldn't admit it to himself. He didn't seem to argue as much or as hard as he had with other things before finally accepting it, plus, he doesn't take every single chance he can get to disprove it like most other stuff he'll argue about.

Now, I can understand why he wouldn't want all that on him, personally I'd be shit scared.. Though I think I should be myself, problem there being I'm still completely confused on the whole aspect of ME in all of this.. I can understand finding these five magic types and having them help us fight the Demons and destroy them or whatever. But me, I'm something else, I'm not supposed to know magic or anything, it's just something about me in particular that's special and they -think- it'll be needed.. How, why, when, where, anything.. I don't know. And yes, I can honestly admit that's pissed me off seriously more than one time and made me storm out of a room as no one will explain to me in terms I'll understand what's going on in relation to me.. Maybe I'll find out later or something.

Oh blah, I guess it doesn't matter so much right now. There's one more thing that's happened here that I just HAVE to mention because it's the reason this whole thing has sounded somewhere more cheery than it really should of, especially initially with all the bad stuff and everything. There's been one really great, cool, absolutely fantastic thing that happened just before we came in here.

I got a Cybernetic.

Sighned: Clarissa K. Klark.

* * *

Some days before

* * *

It hadn't been so hard to follow while still within the forest. Even in those strange wide open areas that came after the forests disappeared, the grass had still be quite long enough to hide him. Also there had been metal contraptions left all over the place within those grassy fields, he couldn't remember ever seeing things like them before, but they did bring up visions and blurred memories of other things, strange creatures with metal components much like himself.

It had given him pause.. his mind skipping over those few last memories. He had nothing more than blurred half images of anything before appearing within the forest. A face, a feeling of comfort, a place, warmth and happiness.. Then shadows and darkness, pain and flashes of red and glaring lights. He could neither remember his arrival in the forest or how he'd got there, just the times afterwards and even the beginning ones of those were jarred and jumbled.

With all his memories scrambled he appreciated his first full real ones.

His first sight of the wilds and all it's inhabitants. More importantly his first sight of the Pikachu groups, something so harmonious and feeling so right. He had sat watching them for what seemed like years before he had gained the courage enough within himself to slip out from his cover towards them. Of course, they're run off at the first sight of him. Such a strange creature as he was unknown in these lands

But right then he was ignoring all that, trying to keep all his attention to the group of creatures he was following, especially the female one. Under no circumstance did he wish to lose them. Something about them was important, he could feel it inside, even if he couldn't explain it to himself.

The change of scenerey into the place with large structures in rows, surrounded by blockages of different kinds brought a mixture of eases and difficulties. The new surfaces and textures took time to become accustomed to, so did the shapes of things and how exactly he could move around them. He couldn't remember anything ever being so.. so, well, symetrical, at least, nothing so big and so often found. But there were more metallic things and new kinds of hidey-holes that he'd never had before that did make it easier in other respects.

Then there was also the humans and both their pokemon and wilds.. He had never known that wilds would come into this sort of land, not as far as he remembered.. The wilds from his 'home' would never of been able to survive in such a place.. so different from the forest. But he was starting to realise, see how things could work, how one could manage to survive in a place such as this. A strange place if ever he saw one, though not as much as the next.

A structure unlike anything he'd seen before.. He'd had to stop a good distance away from the group, namely because there was so little space to hide his form that wouldn't give him away. So he waited and watched to see what would happen with those he was following before deciding exactly what it was he was going to do.

They entered the structure after mutterings and mumblings, two of the humans arguing between themselves over what exactly it was they should do. It didn't last long and they were once more lost to his vision and he was forced to move, follow and see where it was they had gone. Keeping to shadows and places with less direct sunlight to he raced after.

He entered, the first building he had ever entered.. or was it? For a moment he froze just inside the entry way, thoughts and hints of memories buzzing around inside his head. A warm gentle feeling that made him wish he knew more, that threatened to pull him away to places unknown.. It was so tempting, but no, the girl, he had to get to the girl. It was important beyond anything else he'd ever been sure of in his entire life.

He shook himself, reorganised his thoughts and followed the sounds of voices, he must not lose the group and the girl.

For three hours did he sit and watch, eyes unmoving upon his goal, ignoring all that was around him. Had he allowed himself, his mind would of wondered to all that was around him, collections of things unknown, unthought of, so amazing that he could of spent a lifetime looking at them without ever fully understanding everything he saw. It was an amazing place but all that he had eyes for was the girl, below and resting soundly within the company of the others within her group. He wished he understood this pull, this drive to be around her, to be near.. to be w_ith_ her. But he did not, so he sat, in the shadows, hidden and watching, waiting for what he knew not.

A movement, his eyes finally left the girl to see what was happening. He edged closer to the ledge, looking down to see what was going on. The group seemed to of not noticed, but he had.. There down below were two figures and four by their feet moving around the edges, between columns and rows, just out of view of those watching. He didn't like the look of this. He'd seen similar things already, both humans and other pokemon, mad and violent attack for no reason, three times had he nearly rushed to the girl's side to protect her. But each time he had stayed his run, seeing those around her come forth and protect her, protect each other just like a family pack though none was related by blood, he could scent that. He had watched as they drove of numbers he thought not possible with minimal injury. He had seen even those seeming not to get along work together and solve their problems to help each other within this group, making them always able to come the best off.

Now he watched not so certain things would work so well this time. Those two of the group watching did not seem to notice those hovering around the edge, those watching and waiting much like himself. But those others he could tell were not so peaceful, they were not merely here to watch.

He must warn the group, he had to tell them that something was coming, that others were watching and they were in danger. But his caution, something inbuilt into him since that day he arrived in the forest and first watched those wild Pikachu held him still. He could not show himself, they may run or attack and he wished neither. Instead he had to think, to do something that would not disclose his position but that would give warning to the group below that they were being watched. So he looked around, using all his sensors.. and found what he needed.

Moments later and he was perched high, even higher than he had been before, atop some skeleton of a monstrous beast long dead and looking down at those below, both the group and those who had now crept closer. Watching his step he walked along the bones, grateful of the wires and bolts around him that hid his small reflective shines and blended them with their own. At the right spot he stopped, looked down and seeing the look out still having no clue as to what was around him he sparked, the gratings upon each of his cheeks letting off a small discharge that shot out small iron bolts in four directions, two either side of where his face pointed. He watched one decend, falling towards one of the shadowed figures and bounce off a shelf near to it's head, at the same time the other three bolts landed with loud clatters upon the marble based floor. The head jerked to the side and the other shadows stiffened where they stood, tense and unmoving. Both look outs moved at the same moment, one awakening the others with a shout while the other searched out the sounds.

Soon conflict unfolded, but not as bad had the shadows gotten through to those sleeping. This time they were scared off, driven away by angry bellows from the giant and shadow blasts from the black furred member of the group. He heard two yelps as one of the fleeing pokemon gained a last incentive to move faster away as he watched the humans gather below. He smiled to himself, his cheek gratings sparking slightly in pleasure as they were prone to do.

From below he heard sounds, the furred figure was coming towards the others, tossing a small shiny item between his hands as he talked to the others. Suddenly one of the humans looked up, straight to where he was, he froze, unmoving, even so far as unbreathing as he waited for them to look away.. they couldn't possibly know he was there, he had done nothing to give himself away. Slowly the head turned away as the black one continued to make noises and looked around. A figure broke off from the group and started to look around, glancing back to the others to get their barings every so often until they had gone to each of the places where one of the iron bolts had fallen. Coming to the group again they all started to talk and he decided to take this moment to move from his perch. It was not the best or safest one for him to be in, he needed better cover before those below figured he was up here and started searching from the higher level he was at.

His thoughts elsewhere as he decended he did not notice the group disband, going about different things in different directions at the same time. It wasn't until he stood once more upon solid ground near the edge to where he had originally sat himself to watch that he realised the group was no longer where he had left them. For a moment he panicked, his mind racing over different possibilities as his body froze in indecision. Where had they gone? After all this time had he lost the girl? He can't of!

Just as he had managed to reorganise his thoughts again in a manner that allowed him to move he felt a presence behind him. Once more he froze but did not remain unmoving. Someone picked him up!

Being turned over and around he found himself face to face with one of the humans from the group he had been following. He couldn't move, his circuitry was freezing up as his mind reeled in fear until suddenly he blacked out.

Voices, sounds jumbled as he slowly came back online, his sensors scrambled and making no sense until they gradually managed to harmonise themselves allowing him to think clearly with the right inputs. He looked around, staying off confusion so as not to freeze up again and giving himself only a simple feedback to his mind, allowing him to gain his barings slowly and easily in a manner he could understand and that wouldn't overload his awakening systems and mind.

He was being caried with both care and a gentleness unknown. He heard voices talking, words scarmbled and jumbled that he couldn't understand.

"I don't know why you're carrying that thing, it's old and broken and you couldn't possibly find any of the necessary parts you'll need to fix it. It's an outmoded piece of junk that's probably not even good enough to be a toaster."

"Of course it can't be a toaster, it's an electric element not a fire one."

"Whatever."

He blinked twice as he scanned around, moving slightly and causing that who was holding him to gasp and turn him around so they could see him better. It was a moment before he could sort himself out, he'd nearly overloaded his systems again in shock. It was the girl! She was holding him! She who he'd been following, watching for so long, so uncertain of himself of what to do and now she held him within her arms.

"You're not broken are you? You're just a little old and your systems aren't quite what they used to be. It's not your fault someone's just left you behind because they thought you weren't as flashy as the newer models is it? I know you're not an outmoded piece junk, you're very special, I can feel it." And she hugged him, once more he was forced to reorganise his cirtcuits so as not to blow anything as joy filled his entire being.

Hints of memories, feelings unknown flooded his mind, hinting at times past. Times when a feeling like this had been everyday, when someone had cared about him, had wanted him by their side no matter what.. And then they faded, but still he felt that warm glow within him. A feeling unlike any he could remember having since that first day in the forest.

She had accepted him, claimed him as her own and now he was hers, to obey anything she wished or commanded.

He would follow her to the ends of the earth.

Once more he had a master

* * *

**Click.**

_Cybernetics™ would like to remind you that there is still time to purchase the latest upgrades for your Cybernetic™ ._

**Click.

* * *

**

6 Months Previously

* * *

A Note by Jamie S.

Strange things are happening. Not that I've been hearing too much about them with my mind on the Grande Tournament SX and all, but you can't help but notice it. People keep whispering, say things in hushed tones when they think other people aren't watching. It's not normal.

Yesterday I heard a group of lower rankers going on about how the Servan Gulf is filled with Magikarp, that they're swarming so much that they can't even send boats through becauce the stupid steel scaled fish are just about a solid wall. Now that's unnatural, even I know that Magikarp breed by the millions but things eat those eggs, that's why we aren't overrun by them.

Then there was a week ago during one of the perliminary rounds when the sky filled with the cries of birds and suddenly this giant mass of flying black appeared out of nowhere, all the Cybernetics in the centre went haywire as they went over. Now that was a hectic time, with all those high powered machines going rogue there were people rushing everywhere making every effort to keep out of the way or trying to shut down the different Cybernetics before they did countless amounts of damage to both the centre and themselves. They'd had to cut the preliminary short because of that and it took three days before it could start again. There had been an uproar over that but nothing could really be done about it, with more than half the contestants out of commision what kind of competition would it of been? Not that the sponsors cared, they just wanted to hear that their money wasn't being wasted. But the organisers smoothed all that over. Me, I was lucky, my ARC unit fared quite well, I was able to shut it down almost immediately as I'd been working on him anyway.

That's not all of it, I know it's not. There's so many strange things going on I don't think I could ever find them all out and they're really effecting my game. My last match was riddled with faults on my behalf and I nearly lost out to a Chipper, which would of been the worst possible blow to my reputation, especially as he was a beginner at that. Thinking that just having the right programming is gonna get you through the game is stupid, Chippers are some of the worst contestants there are. They know nothing of the machinery, just the circuitry they mess with. Idiots.

But I pulled through, putting on a good and leaving the majority of the crowd thinking I'd just been messing around, that I'd had it on the ball the entire time. Of course a couple of people knew otherwise and I nearly punched the lights out of Gregory Sanders as I left the arena at the comments he said. Of course that would of been bad form and I would of been disqualified from the competition for unruley behaviour, but damn that guy knows how to push my buttons sometimes. The snide little ass.

My ARC unit is pretty much fine, I just had to do a little rewiring and replace two shoulder panels which are some of the things I always have on stand by so he's not really gonna look any worse for wear after that.

It's not just the strange things that are happening that have been bothering me. I still haven't seen Sean since our last encounter. Which is unusual, after such a match we usually catch up, at least at some point. And I'd really wanted to discuss his new Cybernetic. I wanted to know what it was just incase someone else came out with one, which so far no one has, thank the gods. I don't think I'd be able to stand up against those things if they entered the competition circuit, even after analysing everything I could remember about the battle afterwards I still can't find a way of myself suceeding with my ARC unit without a hell of alot of luck, or magic, heh. The thing was stronger than anything else I've ever seen before or seen since.

I've tried to contact Sean, even to go and see him but he's never available. I even went so far as to go to his house and his own private pent house in Neon City but he wasn't there at either of them. I'd been so angry after trying to call him for five hours afterwards that I'd nearly convinced myself that I didn't want to see him anyway. But of course I couldn't do that, he'd been my best friend for too long, my friend for longer. Even if we hadn't seen as much of each other over these past couple of years I still consider him my best friend and it's going to take an awful lot to change that.

I'm really worried, even just a simple message would be appreciated, even just one passed from someone to me. Not that that would be ideal and would be more than a little impersonal but I'd still like it better than knowing nothing at all. Even if I ask his father's company they wont answer me, they give me really vague or useless answers. If I didn't know better I'd say they didn't know themselves.

I just wish I'd hear something..

.. Oh well, I've got the next match in an hour, I better finish setting up my ARC unit.

Sighned: Jamie

* * *

CRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRK! BzzzzzzzT! CHVVV! Ptt! Ptt!

"Ah shit!"

Jamie rushed to the other side of his ARC unit, having to go right around it as it was neither laying or standing straight enough to go over or under. "What now?" he grumbled as he looked at his Cybernetic. Thing's just weren't working like they were supposed to. He'd just finished with all this side, he'd made sure everything was in place, that all was running smoothly and now another one of the circuits had blown, frying three wires and causing his ARC unit to start gouging out the floor tiles below it's feet with it's RazorClaws. He got out three Scats and went about rewiring and rerouting various pathways until the ARC unit stopped digging into the floor with it's left forpaw and then went onto stopping the rear one.

"What is up with you? You're not usually this much of a hassle.. and it's not like as if it was much of a bingle what that H1T0P4xxR managed to land on you, not past the surface armour anyway.. And you were working in perfect condition before that." Jamie put his hands on his hips as he looked at his Cybernetic contemplating what could possible be wrong with it as it's eyes, missing the spark of life stared blankly forwards. He sighed and turned around to pick up his tools and head back to it's other side to finish fixing what he'd been doing before being interrupted when he heard a scraping on the ground. Quickly he turned but nothing was different. His eyes scanned the empty room around him, no one else was in there, not that anyone else should of been. All the higher ranking competitors got private rooms so they could work on their Cybernetics in private so they didn't have to worry about people spying or finding out what exactly it was they were installing within their models. That would of detracted too much of the experience if everyone knew what everyone was using, that was part of the enjoyment, not know what exactly your opponet was going to do or use.

Again he turned to get his things but this time there was no sound and as he walked around his ARC, he shook his head muttering to himself, "Hearing things.. " As his eyes returned to the side of his Cybernetic they widened in surprise as another scraping sound was heard and before him he saw his ARC unit begin to move, turning to face the southern wall. He stood stock still, eyes wide open before he slammed them shut, counted to three before opening them again, "I'm just imagining things.." But when he opened his eyes the ARC unit was two feet away from him facing a different direction, though still in the original position he'd shut it down in.

Slowly, carefully he walked up to and around his unit, "You know I hate it when you do that.. It's not right. It makes me think those people are right that there's something wrong with you, even if I like to think of it as 'different'." The unit continued to not move, just staring blankly forwards, unhearing of his words, not that he really expected it to.._ not really_.

"BZZZT! BZZZT! Ptt! Ptt! Bzzzzzzzzzzt- This is breaking news from the Channel 4-6 news room..."

Jamie jumped as he turned around, looking at the wide screen television placed upon the left wall that had suddenly lost it's usual display screen to be replaced with a worried looking woman sitting at a desk with words scrolling below. "What the?"

"It has just been confirmed that Alto Mare has been attacked by unknown sources, please stand by for a few moments as we get the live feed.." The woman turned her head off to the side, whispering something the microphone didn't pick up. Jamie frowned as he watched, turning to his ARC unit then to the tv screen, what was going on?

An image flashed upon the screen, it looked like the ocean.. but different, there was something wrong, it wasn't the right colour and there seemed to be too many unmoving whitecaps. Jamie frowned still further as he walked closer to the screen, trying to pick up the details in the picture, not hearing the voices coming from the television as he watched. Even those few that he heard he would not be able to recollect later. He continued to watch, mouth coming agape as he suddenly realised what he saw. It was the ruins of a city, a city renowned for it's watery walkways and streets, a place he'd been but a month ago. Now it seemed nothing but a watery puddle, a newly formored crator in the land nearby that had a neatly cut out cresent shape, marking where the grande city had once been apart of the island. "I.. I could of been there.." He stammered as he sat back, not even thinking and fell to the floor, landing hard upon his backside but not even realising as he continued to stare at the image unhearing. It changed back to the woman behind the desk, the still streaming image held over her shoulder as she looked to the side viewing it herself. The woman seemed frozen, unable to find words with which to speak.

There was the sounds of scraping and a flare of red light behind Jamie, finally he snapped out of his stupor and turned his head slowly to see what was going on. He was on his feet in moments, rushing to his ARC unit which had suddenly come to life, it's eyes blazing with red light and a low growl reverberating through it's chest and into the floor below it's feet. It's claws were retracting and coming forth repeatedly, as if it were kneeding the tiles it stood upon and that was the scraping sounds he'd heard, the tiles were being gouged again but this time with more force and he could see the curls growing below those long RazorClaws. The fur and plates along the crest of his ARC unit's spine were raised and if Jamie didn't know better he'd think the ARC unit was about to attack. He started to make soothing noises, attempting to calm it down as he moved around to get into a position to shut his unit down.. not that he knew how it had managed to get online on it's own. But that wasn't as an unsual occurance as it might of been for other Cybernetic trainers. Jamie's ARC unit had a tendency to come online for no reason, though never had it been openly agressive upon doing so.

A screech and a loud crash behind him made Jamie turn his head just in time to see a very large, very angry looking Cybernetic come crashing through his room wall and come charging towards him. He would of screamed but for the fact he didn't have the time, instead he gasped as quick as a flash his own ARC unit whirled and barreled into the oncoming NQ40, sending it careening into the opposite wall it had come through. As Jamie pulled his senses together he heard screaming again, this time from the wall the two Cybernetics were fighting against, he could see why. As the NQ40 got it's feet back under itself and started shoving his own ARC away the wall behind them began to crumble. A third Cybernetic was ramming against the wall, it's eyes blazing with a feral green light that didn't seem natural. The NQ40 finally grabbed ahold of the ARC unit and tossed it aside, using it's considerable strength to displace the equally sized opponet just in time to move aside as the third unit came crashing through the wall behind it with a ear shattering roar. Jamie had to move back, the NK6-2 was on a rampage, it was pulling off chunks of the wall as using them as throwing disks, attacking the ARC unit and surrounding furniture with equal indifference, only the NQ40 stood ungrazed by the NK6-2's assult. Jamie knew why, certain units, certain types of Cybernetics had a kinship that couldn't be taken out of them, something to do with the Pokemon they were based off. And when those same certain Cybernetics went haywire they revereted to a basic programming and they listened to it. This was what was happening, the NK6-2 had heard the NQ40 as it attacked his ARC and had come to help the NQ40 as it's basic programing told it to do. Well actually, it's basic programming was probably quite different to that, but it was that extra stuff, the unprogramable that was telling it what to do and both the NK6-2 and the NQ40 were about to start pounding into his ARC unit with the fury and uncontrollability of haywire Cybernetics.

He shouted as a large piece of wall came careening towards his ARC's head, but it wasn't needed, his ARC was already on it's feet, weary of the two other Cybernetics before it and weary of more appearing as the two other units roared in usion, calling for gods knew what. The ARC unit didn't allow time for the NK6-2 to start gathering more wall to throw as it unleashed a stream of flames into it's face then to the wall nearest it in a diagonal slash. It's roars cut short turned into screams of outrage and pain, but blinded it thrashed unknowing of where it striked. The ARC took this time to pounce upon the NQ40 again, aiming for it's exposed throat gear and wiring as it's head upturned and continued to roar. A glancing blow and the ARC was unable to get the grip it had intended with it's vice-like teeth upon the NQ40's throat, but still it held on and ripped it's neck back and forth as the NQ40 began to pound on it with it's thunderous fists.

The first thing the head saw as it peered through the right wall was an ARC unit being pounded by it's NQ40 unit as the NQ40's throat was being ripped out by the ARC unit. The head screamed again and came racing through the hole in the wall and towards the fighting Cybernetics, screaming orders and curses at the same time. The words only stopped as the figure was toppled to the ground from a running tackle from Jamie as the NK6-2 finally gained it's vision back again or at least sensors enough to start attacking once more with precision, this time with barbed spikes that sprayed outwards from it in an arc. The female figure had nearly been skewered by one of the flying spikes though she hadn't realised it. Jamie was holding her pinned to the ground and it was a moment or two before her breath was back and she was screaming again. Jamie slapped her, hard. "Shut up you idiot. They've gone haywire, commands aren't going to work and they're down to basic programming. And screaming at ME sure as hell isn't going to help you." She stopped and looked up at him fire in her eyes that quickly turned to fear as something came crashing down towards them from above. Jamie seeing the fear in her eyes rolled them both to the side just in time to miss being squashed by his ARC unit that had finally been thrown from the NQ40 as the NK6-2 helped dislodge the attached Cybernetic.

Still rolling Jamie and the girl didn't stop until they hit a table, wanting to be out of the danger zone, at least as much as possible, before getting up. "ARC! You need to shut them down! It Doesn't Matter HOW!" The girl now beside him sneered, "I thought _you_ said they'd gone haywire and they wont listen." He glared at her, "My ARC's not like you're mindless NQ40 _Girl_." She huffed and ducked down as once more the ARC unit leaped into the fray, "You better be repaying me for all the damages you cause," he didn't even bother commenting.

The NQ40 was having trouble focusing, alot of it's wiring had come loose from it's neck and it's eyes kept flickering, it's entire sensory array was fraying and it had stepped back from the battle somewhat to allow the NK6-2 to doll out most of the damage, at least until it could get itself together again. Which was fairly unlikely, a couple of good hits was going to take it out, if not remove it's head if aimed right. But Jamie didn't want to have to pay for an entirely new unit for this girl so he cried out to his ARC not to destroy the other units, just put them out.

The ARC was squaring off against the NK6-2, who's owner still hadn't shown themselves, the ARC was more visibly damaged but the NK6-2's face seemed half melted from the last attack the ARC had placed upon it. Again the ARC powered up flames, sending them spewing forth at the other Cybernetic. This time though the NK6-2 was prepared and it's arms came up infront of it's head, the armoured plating sending the flames in all directions but the one intended. The armour melted somewhat but the NK6-2 itself was undamaged and even as the flames continued to spew forth it turned to the side, swinging it's bulk around and thrashing out with it's spiked tail. The ARC didn't have the time to dodge, busy with it's own attack it took the full brunt of the swipe, flying now into the rubble of the other wall. As the NK6-2 finished turning full circle it came straight at the ARC unit bellowing in fury and head down to skewer it with it's protuding horn.

Jamie didn't close his eyes, he never did in battles, he watched with wide eyes and the knowledge that his ARC would get up and move out of the way in time of the oncoming charge despite being somewhat dazed. "Come on ARC.."

For a moment the ARC seemingly went offline, it's red eyes fading to the empty black nothingness before they blazed back into life. With a roar of it's own the ARC unit got itself onto it's feet just as the NK6-2 was upon it, and using the NK6-2's head as a springboard the ARC jumped upon the other Cybernetic's back, it's RazorClaws fully extending to gain purchase among the plated steel spike armour. There was another loud crash as the NK6-2, unable to stop it's full body charge crashed into the wall and continued into the next room, taking the ARC unit still attached to it's back with it.

Jamie was just about to run after them but the girl grabbed his arm, holding him back as more roaring and sounds of crashing could be heard within the next room. "Let go of me," he was about to swing around and make her let go when she grabbed him more forcefully and pulled him bodily away from the wall. It was lucky she did, with a bellow that shook the crumbling walls and destruction around them both the ARC and NK6-2 came flying through the hole in the wall, making it sizeably larger as they did. They rolled for a couple of meters, lashing out in all directions as both tried to lay blows upon the other. The NK6-2's heavily armoured body making it hard for the ARC's ViceJaws and RazorClaws to gain purchase and the NK6-2 was finding it hard to make full force blows upon the ARC with it's HammerFists and SpearPPTail or even grab ahold with it's own ViceJaws as the ARC always seemed able to twist just that little bit to keep anything from doing sizeable damage.

Jamie and the girl were forced to move further away, stopped only by the southern wall as the NK6-2 finally was able to throw the ARC unit off of itself. It wasn't the right move though as the ARC had had two of it's RazorClaws well purchesed below the rims of the NK6-2's chest plating and tore it loose as it was thrown back leaving circuitry and flesh exposed to attack. A glint shone in the ARC's eyes as it tossed the plating aside and crouched ready to pounce once more upon the bellowing NK6-2. The ARC's programming was driving him, that and something else, mixed together the two sources brought on a bloodlust seen very few times by even the most experienced Cybernetic knowledgables. The NK6-2 was showing it's rage, bellowing and thrashing indifferent to anything but it's pain. As it's eyes glowed with that eerie green colour the air started to prickle, raising the hairs along both the girl and Jamie's skin. The ARC didn't seem to notice, all attention upon the NK6-2 that once more was readying to charge, this time though the ARC wasn't just going to be on the defensive, it was going to get the NK6-2 first.

The NK6-2 charged, so did the ARC. There wasn't really that much room for either to last long without contact and quick did it come. As the NK6-2 came upon the ARC the ARC rolled to the side (crashing through a table with no notice), swiveled upon the ground and lashed out with it's RazorClaws to the NK6-2's right leg as it charged past. Front paws gripping from the front the ARC unit kicked with it's full force using it's rear legs at the NK6-2 toppling it over as it spun around unbalanced. Now thrown to the ground the ARC leaped to it's feet once more and fell upon the partially dazed NK6-2, RazorClaws and ViceGrip rendering the NK6-2 into sparking circuitry and flowing red liquid as the ARC tore into the exposed section of the NK6-2's chest. Armour plating and wiring was thrown aside as the ARC tore more panels off the still thrashing NK6-2 to expose more of the internal circuitry to render.

The air continued to prickle as the NK6-2's thrashing died away, the force of blows weakening until the ARC didn't even bother moving aside, allowing the weak hits to make contact and do little more than slight dents and grazings upon it's hide. It was just as the ARC exposed another underpanel that it came, the prickling exposed it's source as the ARC was blasted off the now ruined NK6-2 and into the corner closest to the door. The walls and roof shuddered for a moment but nothing more.

The NQ40 stepped forwards, it's head lolling on it's neck and sparks fluttering around it's ChargeBlasterX-2 and up along it's arm. Jamie looked to the girl beside him, "You put an ElectricLash input on a NQ40? Are you an IDIOT?" The girl just stared blankly, mouth slight agape as from her NQ40's ChargeBlaster arm three streams of whipping electricty stuck out in all directions, spiralling three times as they came together once more and surged towards the sizzling ARC unit still piled against the wall. Jamie looked back to his ARC and shouted, "ARC! SHALD!" That blaze reappeared in the ARC's eyes, three sets of panels along it's side lit up, red lights flashing in time with a glow that pulsed upon it's cross chestplate.

The electricty struck, whipping out and around from where it should of made contact with the ARC but instead came upon the high powered Shald shielding. Both Jamie and the girl were forced to duck as strands of electricty streamed in all directions, the NQ40 wasn't letting up on it's attack, the blast just kept issuing forth from it's ChargeBlaster, making it surge and spark as more energy was pushed into the attack. "This is why you don't put an ElectricLash in a NQ40, they don't know how to balance it, it's going to overload," Jamie hissed at the girl as he continued to watch from where they were ducked behind a crushed table and parts of thrown wall from earlier. He was right, the pulsing of the electricty was becoming more erratic, creating surges that echoed back up the NQ40's arm, causing sparks to dance between it's plating and along it's circuitry exposed at it's neck.

The attack wasn't doing so well for the ARC either, it couldn't keep the Shald up indefinately. The Shald required extreme amounts of power and energy that were taken from everywhere else to keep it maintained, it was supposed to only be used in quick bursts to deflect short burst attacks of varying strength as it paralyzed the user during those short turns.

This was going to be a waiting game of who fried first, either the ARC was going to shut down from over expenditure of power or the NQ40 was going to fry itself by overloading the ChargeBlaster it was using for the ElectricLash. Jamie was hoping it would be the NQ40 first, at least then he wouldn't have to spend anywhere near as much time repairing his ARC and also, he wouldn't have to replace the stupid NQ40 as it would of blown itself and it would be the girl's fault.

Then something happened that Jamie really hadn't expected, his ARC moved, it slowly started working it's way forwards, towards the oncoming blast of the NQ40. Now this shouldn't of been possible and Jamie's mouth gaped open as he watched. The air around the ARC was rippling with a hint of firey red

as it moved, the Shald was still keeping up beyond all measure. Both Jamie and the girl watched amazed as the ARC continued forwards, becoming increasingly faster as it got closer to the NQ40 which as the ARC approached was pressing more power and energy into the ChargeBlaster, causing the stream to become more of a torrent of crackling electricty that continued to rebound off the Shald. It was as the ARC came so close to the NQ40 that it was forced to step back so it still had room to continue the blast without it backlashing upon itself that the NQ40 began to shudder, it's ChargeBlaster arm smoking and sparking internally and creating an unnatural whirling rattling sound that just didn't sound right. The ARC's eyes were solid red glows as it gained further ground, the NQ40 still attempting to move backwards and lash the ARC with electricty even as it began to short circuit itself, the charge coming from the NQ40's arm becoming so strong that it overflowed the rim of the blaster, smoke billowing up around it. Then it spluttered, the electricty stopping for an instant before surging forwards again, it repeated again, twice more and then the ChargeBlaster fully overloaded, exploding in a rain of sparks and metal shrapnel in all directions. The explosion blasted off most of the NQ40's arm and left side as well as most of what was left holding the NQ40's head in place leaving it dangling on it's right side from nothing more than it's spinal cord, circuits and red liquid lashing, sparking and splurting in all directions. The NQ40 remained standing for less than a minute before it toppled over with a loud crash, followed soon after by another as the ARC toppled to the ground beside it drained of all sources of energy, the strange rippling red glow disappearing in the same instant as it went offline.

Jamie ran to his ARC as it fell over, determinded to assess how much damage his Cybernetic had taken during that battle. The girl took a moment, shaking off her shock before rushing over to her own. As a sizzle and spark was heard Jamie looked up and over to the girl who was attempting to get up close to her NQ40, "Don't!" The girl whirled around on him, "What?" and was forced to duck as another smaller explosion made the various crushed and fallen things upon the ground shudder. "That. It's going to keep doing that for a little while, you should keep back until you can get someone go in there safely and disconnect the electric drive otherwise you're just going to get fried." The girl crossed her arms and frowned as she moved over closer to Jamie and his ARC, continually looking back at her NQ40, "Hmpf. Not much point in getting it fixed now, it's ruined.. You owe me a new NQ40."

Jamie looked up from his ARC, "Bull. Your NQ40 blew itself up because of your inabilities to even put your Cybernetic together properlly. That-" he waved at the still sparking and frizzing NQ40, "-would of happened anyway even if it hadn't come rampaging into MY room to ATTACK my ARC. It just would of happened later." She glared at him, "How do you know? Who do you think you are? You don't know everything there is to know about Cybernetics!" Jamie rolled his eyes and looked back at his ARC, moving closer and being careful not to touch the unit as the air around it was wavering with the heat being emitted, "I know because I have common sense and I've seen that happen before. Idiots think that if you just put a powerful weapon on any ol' Cybernetic it'll work. That it doesn't matter about all the packaging that tells you WHAT you can combine together, no THEY'RE smarter than the company that creates the things, they figure you just do this and that, switch these wires and all is good. It's not, there's certain things you can't do, even the most experienced of us know that." Still examing his unit he didn't even bother looking at the fuming girl.

Finally Jamie stood up straight again and looked at the girl who seemed to be thinking her own thoughts as she looked at her trashed Cybernetic. Jamie reached out to pat the side of his ARC and smiled grimly, "Well it's not as bad as it could of been, but we aren't going to be doing that battle now are we? Doubt we'll even be in commission for the next couple of days." He sighed, scratching his head and thinking.

"You noticed the NK6-2's owner hasn't shown up, what do you think happened to them?" Jamie turned to the girl who'd spoken as she looked at the NK6-2 which surprisingly wasn't completely offline, it was gurgling and making slight gasping noises barely heard as red liquid continued to flow out around it from it's shredded chest. "I don't know.." He started to approach the fallen NK6-2 as the girl went to the hole in the wall she hadn't come through and looked into the next room. Jamie couldn't help but be impressed by the NK6-2, it was still holding on despite missing most of it's internal anything from both it's near empty chest and stomach cavaties. "You must of been a good fighter.. I wish we'd met under better circumstances." He reached down to get to the NK6-2's control panel and shut it down, there wasn't any point in letting it linger on like this. As his fingers brushed the panel there was a rush of air and suddenly he'd been pinned to the ground, his head nearly smashed into the tiles below him and he was facing the enormous head of the fallen NK6-2, it's green eye still glowing eerily if faintly at him. "What the?" He tried to pull himself up, or at least out from under the NK6-2's heavy arm but it was holding him down, that green glow following his movement as he struggled to get free. Fear gripped him, this thing was still online and it had already gone haywire, it could very possibly kill him, with very very little effort. He froze as he looked into that eye staring back at him. There was something wild, terrible, alive in that eye, something more than a machine stared back at him in that moment before it faded away. The green disappearing into the oblivion of it's empty black sockets.

For long moments Jamie lay there staring at the empty eyes of the offline Cybernetic, something running down his spine that he couldn't name.

It wasn't until he heard a shout from the next room that he even realised he'd been staring like that and with some effort he shoved the NK6-2's arm off of himself enough to slide away out of it's grasp. Up again he looked around for a moment, avoiding the NK6-2's blank stare before moving off to where he'd heard the voice. "What?"

As he ducked under part of the crumbling wall he saw the girl crouched beside a fallen table to the side of the room with someone laying akwardly next to her. "They're hurt, I don't know what to do," she looked at him worried and Jamie quickly rushed over beside her to see who the person was. He knew who it was and as Jamie sat down next to the girl he spoke to the body, "Hey Cos, it's me Jamie, can you hear me?" There was a groan from the body and it shuddered slightly before the eyes blinked a couple of times and looked blarily around. "Oww.. gods my head hurts.. Jamie that you?" Attempting to sit up Cos very quickly gave up on the idea. "Yeah it's me Cos, you feeling ok? You've got a wonderful bloody bump on the back of your head." The young man reached back and touched among his shaggy red hair and frowned, "So that's what's making that hurt.." and he groaned again as he moved in a way he shouldn't of.

Jamie looked to the girl, "Could you go get someone? I'm not exactly an expert in these matters." "Unlike in Cybernetics huh?" He glared at her, "Just go get someone girl." She rolled her eyes and got up heading for the door around the destruction of what was in the room, though not nearly as bad as Jamie's it seemed to of gotten it's fair share, "It's Britney and fine, I'll go get someone, but I don't know how long I'll be. With all the noise our Cybernetics were making you'd think someone would of come along, I bet ours weren't the only ones that went haywire," and with that she was gone out the door and into the corridor.

Jamie looked at Cos as he helped him sit up, "Man my head hurts.. " "What happened?" Cos turned his head to Jamie and winced, a hand going to his head, "I don't know, one moment I was recalibrating my NK's SPC-K2 drive and the next it'd come online -nearly damned well tore my hand off it did- and I'd been thrown backwards, then there was nothing." "That's it?" Cos went to nod his head but thought better of it as he looked around his room, "Yeah, that was it.. What happened to my room? Where's my NK6-2?" Jamie heh'd, "Well your NK6-2 came bellowing through my wall after a NQ40 came through my other wall and they both started ripping into my ARC." Cos cringed, "Is my NK even repairable?" Jamie shrugged, "I don't know, it was still going despite missing most of it's internals until only a couple of minutes ago.. That thing had a good drive on it, most models would of given out long before that." Cos nodded and took a moment to steady himself again afterwards, "For the condition I got it in and the fact it was still running I knew it had a good drive, that's why I brought it for this competition, I was hoping to use it in the tournament. That and it's a bloody good model even if it's not that recent, it doesn't have any of the problems you usally find in the NK series." "Aside from the wild drive it would seem." "Yeah well, everyone knows you can't do anything about that, you just work it best you can and hope you got the right programing when those times come."

Both of them sat there discussing what had happened until Britney came back fifteen minutes later, "Gods, what an idiot.." "That's what I said."

"I'm back!" A head poked around the doorway, disappeared again then once more appeared followed by another, "This is Jova, he's one of the resident medics. Sorry we took so long, it's like half the Cybernetics in the entire place went in some way haywire, worse were those waiting out in the holdings. Thirty-seven Cybernetics went off at once and the destruction down at the arena is amazing, people everywhere are hurt." She continued going on like this as the medic checked out Cos and determined he had a mild concussion and that if he had any problems to call someone or goto the medical centre to get it checked out, then left.

"So does anyone actually know what caused it or what?" Britney finally stopped as someone actually managed to get something inbetween what she was saying, "Well.. no, but it all happened around the same time and-" "So you don't know, you can stop now." Britney huffed but did none the less. For a moment there was akward silence and Britney looked back to Jamie's room, "You know I really should contact home and get my other Cybernetic brought in," she shot a glare at Jamie, "My NQ40 sure isn't going to be working again.." She made an over the top sigh and waved a hand in the air, "At least I'll have another week to get everything ready," and she was walking away, back to her room, going through the holes in the walls to do so. Before she was completely gone a head popped back into view, "And you owe me a new Cybernetic _Jamie_"

Jamie sighed. "You think she'll be ok?" Cos said as he watched after her. "Personally I don't care, but probably yeah, her NQ40 is in my room with your NK6-2 and my ARC, and it doesn't exactly sound like she has another Cybernetic in her room." "Does this mean you're gonna pay to replace my NK then too?" Jamie shot a glare at Cos who just laughed, even if he did cut it short as it sent his head spinning, "Joking, joking man, I gotta see if I can salvage my NK first, though I doubt I'll be entering this competition." Jamie raised a brow, "What, you don't have a backup? That's not like you." Cos was getting himself up and walking over to where the hole in the wall was, "Yeah well, I wasn't expecting anything like this to happen was I? That NK is strong and should of been all I needed to get through this competition. I've been putting all my work into it, didn't seem much point to split my time and get two half assed Cybernetics instead of one really good ones." "My, you're starting to see it my way," Jamie laughed and Cos managed a smile himself, though it didn't last long as he peered into Jamie's room and saw the destruction there.

"Gods, your ARC did all this?"

Jamie came up beside the hole as Cos eased himself around the jagged edges closest to himself and around the rubble upon the floor to get to his NK6-2, looking over at the NQ40 and around the room at the same time. "It really tore into my NK's insides didn't it? There's like nothing there.." Jamie watched Cos start to pick over the internals scattered around the room, discarding most of them as useless but keeping a few that could be used again. "It only stopped because the NQ40 blasted it. I don't think you'd of had anything left at all, not even a shell if it'd been able to keep going." Cos turned around on Jamie shocked, "Gods. I've heard that's what happens in those underground tournaments, but I thought all sanctioned Cybernetics had fail safes to stop them going feral like that, even when they go haywire.. You sure your ARC is going to be ok to use still? If you were anyone else I'd say they'd never let you use that unit again, but then you're Jamie aren't you?" His eyes drifted to the battered and dented ARC unit unmoving to the center of the room and shuddered. Jamie shrugged and keeping a wide berth around the still sparking NQ40 started helping Cos pick up bits of his NK6-2's innards.

As the hour wore on they'd collected most of what was still useable, creating two piles away from the rubble containing all the parts that had once been apart of the NK6-2 and even a few that'd been part of the NQ40. Red liquid covered a good portion of the unusable parts, as it was highly corrosive and once it had had come into contact alot of Cybernetic parts would no longer work. The red liquid itself was a part of every Cybernetic, though it did sometimes come in different colours depending on the unit, it was a fluid that helped things function when properlly used. It required a sizeable bit of maintenance but if one didn't look after it, their Cybernetic was prone to break down more often for silly little reasons. So aside from giving the impression of blood during some of the more violent battles it also worked somewhat like a life fluid that kept the machines going. The resemblence in use and view to human blood did have an unnerving quality that did leave some Cybernetic users more comfortable with smaller units that didn't tend to use as much, at least until they were comfortable with handling the stuff.

During this time Jamie had also taken the opportunity to switch off and disconnect the electric drive in the NQ40 as it kept sparking in ways that made neither Jamie or Cos comfortable with being even in the same room with it. There had still been a likliness it could of further exploded, spraying the room with further shrapnel and neither of them really wanted that to happen.

Neither of them saw Britney again though they did hear her a couple of times before the sound of a door slamming and then there was no more sounds from her room. For a while they'd also allowed the tv to keep going in the background, Jamie had been surprised that it had survived the barrage of everything, but only a small portion of the picture had been disrupted and they could see the images clearly but for that one spot. The sound wasn't quite as good though, Cos has disconnected three of the speakers as the crackle and popping sounds had just irritated both of them, leaving just the two closest to the screen still working. Neither of them really paid much attention to the screen, not even the words that came from it. The same thing was being repeated over and over; Alto Mare had been destroyed and they didn't know how, not really that interesting after you heard it the first half a dozen times.

Though neither knew it at the time, this was only the first of many interruptions, when live television feeds would overide everything else and the world would learn of what was going on..

This was to be the last of the Cybernetic Tournaments.

* * *

Master Rugia isn't as I had expected..

My Brother says all is fine, that Master Rugia has only to settle..

Then things will be as they should be.

I fear my Brother has hold of my life

* * *

That's it!

Chapter four done after what, at least a year and a half! Though I think it's closer to two.. oh well. Done now! ;

Somewhat more violent there than anything else so far wasn it? I think I did an ok job of the battle, ah well. Hope you enjoyed! Most likely it wont be so long between this and the next chapter as I've written half of it already, so woo!


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